Passenger-Miles of Travel - Box

Estimating Passenger-Miles of Travel

Passenger-miles of travel are estimated on a yearly basis by adding together estimates for each mode, which are derived from separate sources. Passenger-miles of travel for large air carriers and intercity trains are estimated from tickets and are very accurate. A variety of methods are used to estimate travel in other modes, each with different strengths and weaknesses. For more information see the Accuracy Profiles in BTS's National Transportation Statistics 2000.