November 12, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact: Eron Shosteck
Phone: 202-218-7220
WASHINGTON – Motorcoaches lead every other travel mode in terms of their fuel efficiency on a per-passenger basis, averaging more than 200 passenger miles per gallon, according to a new study by MJ Bradley & Associates released today by the American Bus Association Foundation. The new 2008 MJ Bradley & Associates study, “Updated Comparison of Energy Use & Emissions From Different Transportation Modes,” shows that motorcoaches offer a whopping 206.6 passenger MPG, the highest of 14 modes studied.
“On average, motorcoaches use the least amount of energy and produce the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per passenger mile of any of the transportation modes analyzed,” the study confirms. Among the 14 modes studied, personal automobiles averaged 22.4 passenger MPG, SUVs 15 passenger MPG, and hybrid cars 46 passenger MPG.
“At a time when automakers are now asking for a taxpayer bailout for their failure to produce energy-efficient vehicles, the motorcoach manufacturers and the independent bus operators who provide more than 700 million passenger trips annually continue to be the greenest way to go, with virtually no federal subsidy,” said ABAF President Peter J. Pantuso. “The motorcoach industry continues to attract new riders each day the old fashioned way: through providing a superior travel experience that allows Americans to reduce their carbon footprints while still maintaining their freedom of mobility to go to our country’s great destinations, whether for business or leisure.”
The full study is available on the ABA Foundation website at http://www.buses.org/files/2008ABAFoundationComparativeFuelCO2.pdf.
“We hope to work with President Obama and the new Congress to lend a hand, not ask for a handout,” Pantuso added. “We are cost-effective, accessible, convenient and hassle-free, as well as green. We infuse every community with tourism dollars through retail spending on lodging, dining, attractions, souvenirs and tax revenue. We bind the nation together, and provide mobility to millions of Americans who otherwise wouldn’t have it.”
The American Bus Association is the trade organization of the intercity bus industry with more than 1000 motorcoach owner and tour company members in the United States and Canada. Its members operate charter, tour, regular route, airport express, special operations and contract services. Another 2,800 members are travel and tourism organizations and suppliers of bus products and services who work in partnership with the North American motorcoach industry.
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