The Coach Bus Industry By the Numbers

Buses are one of the most common forms of transportation in the U.S. today, but between all the public transport bus companies, school buses, and charter bus rentals, it’s probably the charter bus services that present the most interesting statistics.

Commonly known as coach buses, these buses have been around for a while and have been providing reliable transportation options for people in virtually every state. But these buses are experiencing a sudden (and surprising) surge in popularity in recent years, proving to other transportation companies that buses are valuable and are here to stay.

Here are just a few interesting numbers about the average coach bus, and the industry surrounding motorcoach companies, that you may not have known:

206 passenger miles: This number of individual passenger miles that bus companies provide for each gallon of gas used. This number is significantly higher than nearly every other vehicle on the road — rail lines only provide about 92 passenger miles per gallon, for example, and single passenger cars have an average of 27 passenger miles per gallon.

3,400: The number of individual bus companies that comprise the entire coach bus industry, most of which (about 94%) are small businesses that operate less than 25 individual vehicles. The revenue generated from each bus trip doesn’t just help other cities’ economies; it also provides jobs to over 130,000 people (according to the most recent survey from 2013).

$11,600: The average amount of money that a single coach bus trip can provide for a local community in one night, just by transporting dozens of passengers in need of lodging, meals, entertainment, and other hospitality services.

637 million: The number of individual passenger trips that the coach bus provided in one year, according to a 2013 survey. And considering that the American Bus Association cites the industry as one of the fastest growing form of transportation in the U.S. today, it’s likely that this number has gone up, and will continue to go up in future years.

So now it’s your turn — do you happen to know any odd facts about the modern bus system? Any questions or concerns about traveling via coach bus? Be sure to share your thoughts down in the comments section!