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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Table 1-31M: U.S. Passenger-Kilometers

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 1-31M: U.S. Passenger-Kilometers

(Millions)

Excel | CSV

  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Air                                 
Air carrier, certificated, domestic, all services 50,049 85,659 174,520 218,871 328,898 447,134 556,629 544,095 570,937 582,953 625,068 649,995 699,505 725,190 745,548 785,934 829,403
General aviationa 3,701 7,081 14,645 18,347 23,657 19,795 20,921 19,473 17,381 15,933 15,772 17,381 19,312 20,117 R21,082 21,726 U
Highway                                 
Passenger carb,c1,842,173 2,244,718 2,817,796 3,144,925 3,237,982 3,370,965 3,671,543 3,540,975 3,553,795 3,561,931 3,620,609 3,655,319 3,761,146 3,844,826 3,965,145 4,015,104 4,099,070
Motorcycleb,cg g 5,274 9,965 19,725 19,009 19,995 18,759 19,226 19,609 19,940 18,604 18,839 19,145 19,528 18,736 18,551
Other 2-axle 4-tire vehiclech h 363,090 584,622 838,104 1,107,376 1,608,947 1,797,569 1,933,896 2,016,283 2,042,728 2,085,143 2,155,114 2,245,376 2,291,659 2,305,586 2,364,431
Truck                                 
Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck 158,602 207,234 43,583 55,693 64,073 73,130 83,527 85,131 86,702 91,366 98,627 100,914 103,114 107,654 R109,469 113,143 113,592
Combination truck 46,436 50,960 56,543 75,195 110,527 125,630 151,827 155,535 160,146 165,949 175,309 185,800 191,349 200,499 206,574 213,051 217,596
BusdN N N N N 152,767 195,371 196,189 197,138 208,977 218,663 219,038 223,076 233,451 R239,081 261,430 259,349
Totalc 2,047,212 2,502,912 3,286,284 3,870,399 4,270,411 4,848,878 5,731,210 5,794,157 5,950,903 6,064,114 6,175,877 6,264,819 6,452,639 6,650,950 R6,831,456 6,927,051 7,072,589
Transit                                 
Motor busd N N N N 35,068 34,055 33,766 33,941 32,728 32,584 30,307 30,285 30,732 31,550 R32,766 P34,126 U
Light rail N N N N 613 563 919 1,065 1,128 1,135 1,341 1,384 1,540 1,666 R1,815 P1,941 U
Heavy rail N N N N 16,991 16,781 18,467 16,943 17,280 16,465 17,168 16,993 18,556 19,402 19,769 P20,764 U
Trolley bus N N N N 352 492 311 314 320 303 301 301 296 304 293 P299 U
Commuter rail 6,754 6,643 7,390 7,263 10,486 10,515 11,397 11,819 11,780 11,169 12,868 13,267 13,440 12,936 R14,008 P14,108 U
Demand responsived N N N N N 586 694 731 797 904 929 977 1,056 1,213 R1,183 P1,308 U
Ferry boat N N N N i i 460 454 436 418 418 418 R426 R473 R473 P499 U
Other N N N N 628 707 200 238 293 404 373 439 R546 R594 R710 P755 U
Totale j6,754 j6,643 j7,390 j7,263 64,139 63,699 66,213 65,505 64,762 63,382 63,706 64,065 66,591 68,138 R71,017 P73,800 U
Rail                                 
Intercity/Amtrakf 27,462 21,340 9,944 6,326 7,247 7,765 9,748 10,095 9,803 9,976 9,529 8,924 8,127 8,314 8,536 8,578 8,848

KEY: N = data do not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised.

a All operations other than those operating under 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135.

b U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provides data separately for passenger car and motorcycle in its annual Highway Statistics series. However, the 1995 summary report provides updated data for passenger car and motorcycle combined. Passenger car figures in this table were computed by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transporation Statistics by subtracting the most current motorcycle figures from the aggregate passenger car and motorcycle figures.

c In July 1997, FHWA published revised passenger-kilometers data for the highway modes for a number of years. The major change reflected the reassignment of some vehicles from the passenger car category to the other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle category. Passenger-kilometers for passenger car, motorcycle, and other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles were derived by multiplying vehicle-kilometers for these vehicles by average vehicle occupancy rates, provided by the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 1977, 1983, and 1995.

d Motor bus and demand responsive figures are also included in the bus figure for highway.

e Prior to 1985, excludes demand responsive and most rural and smaller systems funded via Sections 18 and 16(b)2, Federal Transit Act. The series is not continuous between 1980 and 1985. Transit rail modes are measured in car-kilometers. Car-kilometers measure individual vehicle-kilometers in a train. A 10-car train traveling 1 kilometer would equal 1 train-kilometer and 10 car-kilometers.

f Amtrak began operations in 1971. Does not include contract commuter passengers.

g Included in passenger car.

h Included in other single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more truck.

i Ferry boat included in other.

j Includes commuter rail figures only.

NOTES: Air carrier passenger-kilometers are computed by summing of the products of the aircraft-kilometers flown on each interairport segment multiplied by the number of passengers carried on that segment. Highway passenger-kilometers are calculated by multiplying vehicle-kilometers of travel as cited by FHWA by the average number of occupants for each vehicle type. Average vehicle occupancy rates are based on various sources, such as the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, and the Truck Inventory and Use Survey, conducted by the Bureau of the Census. Transit passenger-kilometers are the cumulative sum of the distances ridden by each passenger. Rail passenger-kilometers represent the movement of 1 passenger for 1 kilometer.

Numbers may differ slightly from previous year's metric tables because a higher precision conversion factor was used.

1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers

SOURCES:

Air:

Air carrier, domestic, all services:

1960: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics 1969 (Washington, DC: 1970), part III, table 2.

1965-70: Ibid., Handbook of Airline Statistics 1973 (Washington, DC: 1974), part III, table 2.

1975-80: Ibid., Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: 1976, 1981), p. 4 (December 1976) and p. 2 (December 1981).

1985-2000: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December issues), page 2, line 1.

General aviation:

1960-99: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation in America, 2000 (Washington, DC: 2001), pp. 14-15.

Highway:

Passenger car and motorcycle:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, Internet site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/index.html as of July 28, 2000, table VM-201A.

1995-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1, and Internet site www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm.

Motorcycle:

1970-80: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, Summary to 1985 (Washington, DC: 1986), table VM-201A.

1985-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1, and Internet site www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm.

Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle:

1970-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, Internet site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/index.html as of July 28, 2000, table VM-201A.

1995-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1, and Internet site www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm.

Single-unit 2-axle 6-tires or more truck, combination truck, and bus:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, Internet site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/index.html as of July 28, 2000, table VM-201A.

1995-2000: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1, and Internet site www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm.

Transit:

Ferry boat and other:

1992: American Public Transit Association, personal communication, July 19, 2000.

1996-99: American Public Transit Association, personal communication, Aug. 13, 2001.

All other data:

1960-99: American Public Transit Association, Transit Fact Book (Washington, DC: 2001), table 30 and similar tables in earlier editions.

Rail, Intercity/Amtrak:

1960-80: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual issues).

1985: Amtrak, Amtrak FY95 Annual Report Statistical Appendix (Washington, DC: 1996), p. 4.

1990-2000: Ibid., Amtrak FY00 Annual Report Statistical Appendix (Washington, DC: 2001), p. 46.