Multimodal Millennials? The Four Traveler Types of Young People in the United States in 2009

Abstract

Are young Americans embracing a mix of travel modes? This article identifies four types of travelers to answer that question. Drivers travel almost exclusively by automobile; Long-distance Trekkers drive great distances; Multimodals use a mix of modes; and the Car-less rely on nonautomobile modes and make very few trips. Multimodals were exceedingly rare and eight in ten Millennials used an automobile for nearly every trip as a Driver or Long-distance Trekker. By incorporating multiple facets of travel into a single variable, this research provides valuable information for addressing twenty-first-century policy challenges such as encouraging multimodality and alleviating transportation disadvantage.