Motorcoach Facts:

Driving The Economy

• Motorcoach traveler and tourist demand generates more than $55 billion annually in economic transactions
• The demand for good and services created by motorcoach travel, combined with new motorcoach sales and industry equipment purchases, generates employment for 792,700 people
• One motorcoach spending one night at a destination generates as much as $11,660 for that local economy in meals, lodging, and other spending.
• The total industry fleet of 33,400 vehicles provides charter, tour, sightseeing, airport shuttle, commuter and scheduled services

The Greenest Ways to Travel

• Motorcoaches achieve 206.6 passenger miles per gallon (MPG), commuter rail gets 92.4 passenger MPG, transit buses achieve 31.4 passenger MPG, domestic airplane achieves 44 passenger MPG, personal automobiles averaged 27.2 passenger MPG, and hybrid cars 46 passenger MPG
• Each full motorcoach has the potential of removing 55 autos from the highway, reducing congestion, cutting energy use, and reducing emissions
• Motorcoaches emit the least carbon dioxide per passenger mile when compared to other forms of transportation

Completing the Transportation Network

• Motorcoaches account for 751 million passenger trips annually, moving more people in some years than commercial airlines do
• There are 5 times as many motorcoach terminals nationwide as there are airports, and 6 times as many bus terminals as there are intercity rail terminals
• For more than 14 million rural U.S. residents, motorcoaches are the only available mode of public intercity transportation service, going where air and rail do not

Motorcoaches Reflect U.S. Diversity

• The majority of long-distance bus trips are taken by females, who account for 55 percent of trips, while men account for 45 percent
• Persons who are mobility-impaired rely on motorcoaches for accessible transportation
• Students and seniors use motorcoaches for educational trips, sports outings, and cultural and historical destinations
• Business executives use motorcoaches to commute to work

Enforcement, Education Enhance Safety News

• Motorcoach passenger safety is (a) top priority, and the government’s own data show that bus travel is among the safest forms of surface transportation
• (We) support science-driven safety research to improve occupant protection
• Enforcement of existing laws and regulations by federal and state agencies must be a priority to ensure that illegal operators do not endanger public safety

Mobility With Virtually No Taxpayer Cost

• Motorcoaches provide cost-effective mobility to millions of Americans at virtually no cost to taxpayers, while other transportation sectors receive billions in annual federal subsidies
• Motorcoaches account for a mere 6 cents in federal subsidies per passenger trip, while public transit cost 77 cents per passenger trip, commercial air carriers cost $4.32 per passenger trip, and Amtrak costs $46.06 in taxpayer subsidies per passenger trip

• “Updated Comparisons of Energy Use and Emissions from Different Transportation Modes,” by MJ Bradley and Associates, 2008.
• “Economic Impacts and Social Benefits of the U.S. Motorcoach Industry,”  by Nathan Associates, 2008.
• “Motorcoach Census 2008,” by Nathan Associates, 2008.