New research finds 1,891 companies operated 50,968 motorcoaches across the United States and Canada in 2025, with charter service leading a diverse and expanding market.
The American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) today released Motorcoach Census 2025, a new study measuring the size and activity of the motorcoach transportation services industry in the United States and Canada. Conducted by Tourism Economics, the research found that in 2025 the industry comprised 1,891 companies operating 50,968 motorcoaches, including 1,769 companies operating 49,543 motorcoaches in the United States and 122 companies operating 1,425 motorcoaches in Canada.
The 2025 Motorcoach Census highlights an industry with broad reach, practical value, and a central role in how people travel across the United States and Canada. In 2025, the industry supported 77,176 jobs, and the data show that motorcoach operators serve a wide range of transportation needs. Charter service remained the most common offering, provided by 86.9% of companies, alongside significant participation in tour services, sightseeing, commuter services, and scheduled services. Together, those findings reinforce that motorcoach service is not limited to one market segment. It is a flexible, essential part of the larger travel and transportation network.
The census also makes clear that motorcoach remains a deeply rooted small-business industry, even as larger operators account for substantial scale. Most companies (87.3%) operated fewer than 25 motorcoaches, underscoring the importance of small, locally based operators to the industry’s foundation. Those firms operated 17,373 motorcoaches and accounted for 35.5% of industry passenger mileage. Mid-sized companies operating 25 to 99 motorcoaches ran 7,694 motorcoaches and accounted for 26.8% of passenger mileage, while large companies operating more than 100 motorcoaches accounted for 50.8% of the industry’s fleet and 37.7% of passenger mileage.
“The 2025 Bus Census shows an industry that is moving more people, using its equipment more intensely, and continuing to recover, even as operators face a difficult business environment.”
Fred Ferguson, ABA
The research also highlights the industry’s employment footprint and operational intensity. On average, a motorcoach company provided 41 jobs, or 1.5 jobs per motorcoach. Small companies accounted for 33.0% of industry jobs, mid-sized companies accounted for 19.1%, and large companies accounted for 47.8%. On average, each motorcoach provided 0.9 million passenger miles and traveled 40,297 miles in 2025.
“The 2025 Bus Census shows an industry that is moving more people, using its equipment more intensely, and continuing to recover, even as operators face a difficult business environment,” says ABA President & CEO Fred Ferguson. “In 2025, the industry operated nearly 51,000 motorcoaches across the United States and Canada, up 4.7 percent from the prior year. Passenger miles climbed to 43.9 billion, an 8.9 percent increase, while miles traveled rose 18.2 percent. These are strong signs of demand, productivity, and renewed momentum across the industry.
“At the same time, the Census also makes clear that recovery is not evenly felt. The total number of carriers declined by 3.5 percent, which underscores the pressure facing many operators, especially smaller and independent businesses managing rising costs, insurance challenges, regulatory burdens, and workforce constraints.”
Year-over-year results point to an industry that is becoming more productive even as it continues to consolidate. Compared with 2024, the number of motorcoaches increased 4.7% to 50,968, passenger miles rose 8.9% to 43.9 billion, miles traveled increased 18.2% to 2.1 billion, and employment grew 3.7% to 77,176, even as the total number of carriers declined 3.5%.
“Year after year, the ABA Foundation’s Bus Census has been the definitive guide to the size, strength, and operational trends of the motorcoach industry. The 2025 Census tells a clear story: motorcoach travel is growing, fleet utilization is rising, and our industry continues to move America at a scale that is too often overlooked,” says Lew Myers, ABA’s Director of Government Relations & Research.
“The 2025 Census tells a clear story: motorcoach travel is growing, fleet utilization is rising, and our industry continues to move America at a scale that is too often overlooked.“
Lew Myers, ABA
“This is exactly why the ABA Foundation’s research matters. The Bus Census gives policymakers, operators, manufacturers, investors, and the broader travel industry a factual foundation for understanding where the industry is growing, where it is under pressure, and why motorcoach operators must be part of every serious conversation about mobility, tourism, safety, and economic development.”
The study was commissioned by ABAF and prepared by Tourism Economics, using industry-source data and survey responses from 288 motorcoach carriers. The report measures industry size and activity by the number of carriers and motorcoaches in service, passenger miles, services provided, motorcoach miles traveled, and employment.