Public transportation has come a long way since its early days. It is considerably more comfortable, convenient, and efficient than the horse-drawn buses used in the early 1820s or even the steam-powered intercity bus services of 1830s England.
Current Public Transportation Methods
Currently, there are 33,400 public transportation vehicles on the road. The American Bus Association reported that more people are riding the bus more often than in previous years, and it is the fastest growing form of travel. These vehicles, such as coach buses, provide the following types of transportation:
- Small charter buses
- Tour groups
- Sightseeing
- Airport shuttles
- Commuter services
- Scheduled services
The Environmental Benefits of Motorcoaches
In addition to providing a variety of important transportation services, motorcoach companies also make significant contributions to the environment. When a motorcoach is at full capacity, it can potentially remove 55 cars and/or other vehicles from roads, highways, and freeways. This reduces congestion, cuts energy usage, and also reduces emissions.
Motorcoaches have been proven to be more efficient than commuter rails or transit buses, for example. Furthermore, they are 3 times more efficient in reducing CO2 output than commuter rails, and double that for transit buses. This means motorcoaches emit the least carbon dioxide per passenger mile than other common transportation modes.
More passenger miles per gallon (MPGs) can be attained when traveling by motorcoach as opposed to other modes of travel. This is delineated as follows:
- Motorcoaches: 206.6 passenger MPGs
- Commuter rails: 92.4 passenger MPGs
- Transit buses: 31.4 passenger MPGs
- Domestic airplanes: 44 passenger MPGs
- Personal cars: 27.2 passenger MPGs
- Hybrid cars: 46 passenger MPGs
Increasing Travel Options for Rural Americans
It’s also important to note that due to the presence of motorcoach companies, people living in the United States’ rural areas have increased access to travel. In fact, for over 14 million rural residents, it is the only type of public intercity transportation service available. Motorcoach companies are able to travel where air and rail services do not.
During some years, people choose to travel by motorcoach more often than by commercial airlines. In addition to being a comfortable and convenient way to travel, coach buses also have WiFi and other amenities, such as seats that lean back. This added comfort, including legroom, isn’t available on most airline flights any longer.
