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Bus Profile

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Bus Profile

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Financial 1960 1970 1980 1990 1994 1995 1996 1997 R1998
Expenditures ($ thousands)                  
 School bus  486,000b 1,219,000b R3,833,000b R8,031,000b 7,847,000b R9,889,000b R10,396,000b R10,353,000b 10,326,000b
Operating revenues ($ thousands)                 
 Intercity bus, class I 463,100c 721,700c 1,397,378c 943,268c 870,354c 917,298d 911,504d 999,918d Ud
Operating expenses ($ thousands)                 
 Intercity bus, class I  405,400 639,000 1,318,372 1,026,213 918,522 899,176 878,185 947,556 U
Inventory                 
Number of operating companies                 
 Intercity bus, class I  143 71 61 31 27 28d 27d U Ud
Number of vehicles                 
 All buses  272,129e 377,562e 528,789e 626,987e 670,423e 685,503e 694,781e 697,548e 715,540e
Number of employees                 
 Intercity and rural bus  40,500f 43,400f 37,900f 26,100f 23,600g 23,800g 23,800g R22,200g 24,400g
 School bus  N N 79,900 111,200 125,900 131,100 132,200 R136,500 141,000
Performance                 
Vehicle-miles (millions)                 
All buses                  
Rural highway                  
 Interstate rural  N 339h 533h 567h 683i 711h 742i 794i 834i
 Other arterial rural  N 944 991 995 1,154 1,134 1,201 R1,243 1,282
 Other rural  N 1,266 1,511 1,882 1,893 1,972 2,015 R2,072 2,135
 All rural  2,332h 2,549 3,035 3,444 3,730 3,817 3,958 R4,109 4,251
Urban highwaya                  
 Interstate urban  N 277 560 455 627 580 598 647 663
 Other urban  N 1,718 2,464 1,828 2,052 1,986 2,007 2,086 2,093
All urban  2,014 1,995 3,024 2,283 2,679 2,566 2,605 2,733 2,756
Total rural and urban highway 4,346 4,544 6,059 5,726 r6,409 6,383 6,563 6,842 7,007
Passenger-miles (millions)                 
 All buses  N N N 1,213,980 r135,900 136,104 138,613 R145,060 148,558
Number of revenue passengers (thousands)                 
 Intercity bus, total  366,000b 401,000b 370,000b 334,000b 343,200b 366,500b 347,900b 350,600b 357,600b
Average miles traveled per vehicle                 
 All buses  15,970I 12,035I 11,458I 9,133I 9,560i 9,365i 9,446i R9,809i 9,793i
Fuel consumed (million gallons)                 
 All buses  827 820 1,018 895 r964 968 990 R1,027 1,040
Average fuel consumption                 
per vehicle (gallons)                 
 All buses  3,039 2,172 1,925 1,427 r1,438 1,412 R1,425 R1,472 1,454
Average miles traveled per gallon of fuel consumed                 
 All buses  5.3 5.5 6.0 6.4 r6.6 6.6 R6.6 R6.7 6.7
Average revenue per passenger-mile (cents) (intercity)2.71b 3.60b 7.26b 11.55b 11.61b 12.19b 12.30b R12.45b 12.48b
Safety                 
Number of fatalities                 
 School bus-related  N N 150k 115k 105k 123k 136k 131k 128k
 School bus                    
 Occupants  N N 9 11 3 13 10 8 6
 Other vehicle                    
 Occupants  N N 88 64 64 72 101 99 91
 Nonoccupants  N N 53 40 38 38 25 24 31
Occupant fatalities                 
 All buses  N N 46 32 18 R33 R21 18 38
 School buses  N N 14 13 2 R12 R10 8 6
 Cross country buses  N N 23 2 7 6 3 R5 13
 Transit buses  N N 6 3 6 R1 5 3 2
 Other and unknown  N N 3 14 6 14 3 R2 17
Fatalities in vehicular accidents                 
 All buses  N N 390 340 286 340 297 343 334
Occupant fatality rate                 
Per 100 million vehicle-miles                  
 All buses  N N 0.8 0.6 r0.3 0.5 0.3 R0.3 0.5
Per 10,000 registered vehicles                  
 All buses  N N 0.9 0.5 0.3 0.5 R0.3 R0.3 0.5
Vehicle involvement rate                 
Per 100 million vehicle-miles                  
 All buses  N N 6.4 5.9 4.0 5.3 4.5 4.4 4.2
Per 10,000 registered vehicles                  
 All buses  N N 7.4 5.4 3.8 5.0 4.3 4.3 4.1

KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available

NOTE: See transit profile for transit bus data.

aUrban consists of travel on all roads and streets in urban places of 5,000 or greater population.

SOURCES: Unless otherwise noted, refer to chapter tables for sources.
bEno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America, 1999 (Washington, DC: 2000), p. 42, 48, 50.
cInterstate Commerce Commission, Annual Report of the ICC (Washington, DC: Annual issues), Appendix F, tables 1, 6.
dU.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Selected Earnings Data, Class I Motor Carriers of Passengers (Washington, DC: Annual issues).
eU.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table MV-10.
fU.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours and Earnings, United States, 1909-1994 (Washington, DC: September 1994), SIC codes 413, 415.
gIbid., Internet site www.bls.gov, as of August 18, 2000.
hU.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, Summary to 1985 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201.
IIbid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.
jIbid., Highway Statistics, Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A. Ibid., National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 1998, DOT HS 808 983 (Washington, DC: October 1999), Tables 74, 93.