The Metropolitan Council on June 11 authorized the regional administrator to negotiate and execute contract 24P006 with Resource Systems Group Incorporated for consulting services to conduct the 2025 and 2027 household travel surveys, in an amount not to exceed $2,710,000.

The household travel survey is a biennial component of the region's Travel Behavior Inventory (TBI). Council Member Barber said the TBI provides data used for regional travel demand forecasting, transportation planning and policy development and supports the council's Thrive outcomes by helping planners model transit investments and estimate resource needs.

Council members asked how the survey captures trips that cross regional boundaries. Transportation staff explained the sampling frame is households within the seven‑county metropolitan region. If a sampled household member travels outside the region, those trips are captured, but the survey does not sample people who live outside the region and travel in (inbound non‑resident travelers are not the survey's sample frame). Staff also said the TBI captures travel in adjacent counties and noted the survey covers travel patterns across a broad metropolitan area.

Council Member Wolf recalled a poor app experience during the 2019 survey and urged improved technology; staff acknowledged changes in technology since 2019 and noted improvements are expected. The contract will fund two survey cycles, providing data on how, where and why residents travel and tracking changes over time to guide investments, including bus rapid transit and other regional services.

After brief discussion, the council approved authorizing the regional administrator to execute the contract with Resource Systems Group Inc. for up to $2,710,000.