Incurred Travel Costs

The indicator measures the beneficiaries’ average travel costs spent on accessing and redeeming the provided cash-based assistance (CBA) for the desired goods (or services). It shows whether the selected modality incurred any significant costs for the beneficiaries and helps with increasing the efficiency and appropriateness of the provided assistance.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the CBA recipients:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: When coming to collect the [specify the modality], did you spend any money on travel costs?

A1: yes / no / does not remember

(ask the following question only if the previous answer is YES)

Q2: Can you please recall how much money you spent on travel costs related to collecting the provided [specify the modality]?

A2: _

1) ____ [specify the currency]

2) does not remember

Q3: When using the [specify the modality], did you have to spend any money on travelling to the sellers and back home?

A3: yes / no / does not remember

(ask the following question only if the previous answer is YES)

Q4: Can you please recall how much money you spent on travel costs related to using the provided [specify the modality]?

A4: _

1) ____ [specify the currency]

2) does not remember

To calculate the indicator’s value, sum up the amounts spent on travel costs and divide it by the total number of respondents (exclude those who did not remember).

Disaggregate the data by location, age group, and other vulnerability criteria.

1) If you conduct cash transfers / voucher distributions in several phases (or in several locations), do not wait to conduct the post-distribution monitoring until all distributions are over. Starting with the monitoring immediately after the first phase / location will help you identify potential issues related to high travel costs and address them in the remaining distributions. 

2) If the transportation costs are not factored in the transfer value and significantly affect people’s purchasing power, discuss with the Cash Working Group to either factor transportation costs in the transfer value analysis, or add a top-up.

3) If many people who receive cash assistance (in general or in a specific area) incur high travel costs, discuss with the Cash Working Group the possibility of advocating for the financial service provider to dispatch mobile agents in the days of cash disbursement.