We all have people to see and places to be. How we arrive there and move around is as unique as our fingerprints.

You might walk your kids to school in the morning, then pick up a carshare vehicle to travel to work. In the afternoon, you may hop on transit to head downtown Vancouver to meet up with friends for happy hour. Or you could be someone that usually drives everywhere because that’s what works best for you.

These are examples of some of the information we want to capture through this year’s Trip Diary. Think of it as the census, but for transportation.

We do the Trip Diary every five years or so to get a snapshot of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley’s residents’ travel habits.

Where do people go and how do they get there? Is it through walking, cycling, driving, carpooling, taking transit, or a combination of these modes?

Keep an eye out for a letter from TransLink and B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for your personal invite this fall. About one third of households in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley will receive this.

While the Trip Diary is voluntary, your participation is vital as no travel is the same. Don’t miss your chance to join likeminded individuals in making a difference.

This year’s Trip Diary marks the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, which permanently changed travel patterns. For example, many office jobs moving to a hybrid model, resulting in less travel during the traditional peak travel times in the morning and afternoons.

The Trip Diary is the most comprehensive source of information on overall travel patterns in the region and is used by TransLink, municipalities, Metro Vancouver, and other planning organizations. That’s why it’s like the transportation version of the census.

While the census tells governments where people are living and informs projects such as where to build schools and hospitals, the Trip Diary tells us the transportation experiences and needs of the region.

Using an online survey or smartphone app, Trip Diary participants tell us about trips made by members of their household.

This includes how many people live in their household and the number of cars, the origins and destinations of their trips, the modes of transportation they use, the purpose of their trips, demographics, kind of home they live in, and more. This information is then anonymized, aggregated, and analyzed.

By participating in the Trip Diary survey, you are helping our region and your community to improve transportation in Metro Vancouver.

Not only that, but each household that takes part also receives a $20 gift card and are automatically entered into a draw to win cash prizes up to $2,000. There’s also an additional $10 gift card for every household member who participates through the smartphone app.