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The Seattle-area Market for ATIS: Changes in Awareness and Use of Traveler Information, 1997-2003

This report provides an overview of the market for traveler information in the Seattle metropolitan area, focusing on three areas: population-wide awareness and use levels, profiles of frequent information users, and enhancement priorities. It is based on the most recent wave of the Puget Sound Transportation Panel survey and is designed to complement earlier work with this data source. Among the principal findings is the fact that about 50 percent of the region’s population was familiar with the major traffic and transit websites in 2003, an increase from 2000 levels. However, other ATIS services continue to have very low awareness levels, even among the population subgroups that comprise their target audiences. They survey also finds evidence of a rise in ATIS usage levels since 2000, with, for example, about 2 percent of the population reporting that they use the Puget Sound Traffic website at least three times in a typical week. However, use of all ATIS services continues to be dwarfed by that of broadcast traffic reports on television and radio. The profiles of regular traveler information users generated here are quite consistent with earlier findings. Namely, these frequent information users are largely employed commuters with above-average levels of income and advanced technology use, with a greater inclination to plan ahead and express dissatisfaction with their commute. Users of ATIS services that are internet-based are even more distinct along these dimensions. Enhancement priorities for traffic ATIS have changed little since 1997; large pluralities continue to state that improvements to the timeliness and geographic scope of the information are their top priorities. This sentiment is strongest among frequent users, while less frequent users express relatively more interest in additional content options and formats.