[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 62 (Wednesday, March 31, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17031-17032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7242]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

[Docket No. BTS-2004-17371]


Request for OMB Clearance of an Information Collection; Customer 
Satisfaction Surveys Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public 
Law 104-13, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics invites the general 
public, industry and other governmental parties to comment on the 
continuing need for and usefulness of BTS' Customer Satisfaction 
Surveys.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by June 1, 2004.

ADDRESSES: You may submit a comment (identified by DMS Docket Number 
BTS-2004-17371) through one of the following methods:
    Web site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments on the DOT electronic docket site.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All comments must include the agency name and docket 
number. Note that all comments received will be posted without change 
to http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information provided. You 
should know that anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-401 on the 
plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.
    Please note that due to delays in the delivery of U.S. mail to 
Federal offices in Washington, DC, we recommend that persons consider 
an alternative method (the Internet, fax, or professional delivery 
service) to submit comments to the docket and ensure their timely 
receipt at U.S. DOT.
    Comments: Comments should identify the associated OMB approval 
2139-0007. Persons wishing the Department to acknowledge 
receipt of their comments must submit with those comments a self-
addressed stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: 
Comments on OMB 2139-0007. The postcard will be date/time 
stamped and returned. We particularly request your comments on the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; ways to enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and ways to 
minimize the collection burden without reducing the quality of the 
information collected including additional use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lori Putman, Office of Survey 
Programs, K-23, Room 4432, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, (202) 366-5336.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Approval No. 2139-0007.
    Title: Customer Satisfaction Surveys.
    Form No.: None.
    Type of Review: Renewal of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents: U.S. Households.
    Number of Respondents: 22,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5-17 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden: 8700 hours (estimate).
    Needs and Uses: In 1993, Executive Order 12862 was 
implemented by the President to insure the highest quality service 
possible to the American people. Federal agencies are required to 
establish and implement customer service standards to guide the 
operations of the agency, to judge the performance of the agency, and 
to make appropriate resource allocations. To fulfill the requirements 
of this mandate, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) 
immediately implemented plans and requirements for measuring

[[Page 17032]]

customer satisfaction with BTS and Department of Transportation 
programs and services. As the statistical agency of the Department of 
Transportation, BTS is charged with fulfilling a wide variety of user 
needs. BTS has implemented a wide range of customer satisfaction 
surveys. The approaches include the Omnibus Survey Programs and the BTS 
Customer Satisfaction Survey, all of which are covered by this 
clearance request. Consistent with the requirements of Executive Order 
12862, BTS plans to continue data collections at several 
levels to better assess and evaluate customer satisfaction within 
products, services, and overall performance of the agency over the next 
three years.
    Description of Survey Topics: The Omnibus Surveys Program is 
comprised of several different surveys--A monthly Household Survey and 
periodic targeted surveys. The primary purpose of the Omnibus Household 
Survey are: (1) To determine the public's level of satisfaction with 
the nation's transportation system in light of the Department's 
strategic objectives, (2) to determine the public's satisfaction with 
the Department of Transportation products and services; and (3) to be a 
vehicle for the Operation Administrations within the Department of 
Transportation to survey the public about Administration-specific 
topics.
    The Omnibus targeted surveys are designed on an ``as needed'' basis 
to address specific, emerging transportation issues. Although there is 
no schedule for such surveys, this submission requests clearance for a 
maximum of 8 targeted surveys per year. In the past, BTS has conducted 
such targeted surveys as the Mariner's Survey (which collects data 
about the Merchant Marines to be used in the event of a national 
emergency), the Highway User Survey (which collects data on highway 
usage) and the Bicycle/Pedestrian Survey (which collects data on 
bicycle usage and on walking as transportation). Data collection for 
targeted surveys may be one time only or recurring.
    The BTS Customer Satisfaction Survey was implemented in 1998. The 
resulting data identified customers who are served by the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics; determined the kind of quality of services 
they want; and measured their level of satisfaction with existing 
services. The surveys covered by this request do not duplicate 
information currently being collected by any other agency or component 
within the Department of Transportation. The information to be 
collected by these surveys is not currently available in any other 
format or from any other source or combination of sources.
    Burden Statement: The total annual respondent burden estimate is 
8,700 hours. The number of respondents and average burden hour per 
response will vary with each survey.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 24, 2004.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Director, Survey Programs, Bureau of Transportation 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 04-7242 Filed 3-30-04; 8:45 am]
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