Preface

Congress requires the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to report on transportation statistics to the President and Congress. Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2000 is the seventh such report prepared in response to this congressional mandate, laid out in 49 U.S.C. 111 (j). The report discusses the extent and condition of the transportation system; its use, performance, and safety record; transportation's economic contributions and costs; and its energy and environmental impacts. All modes of transportation are covered in the report.

The report has a new format this year, intended to make it easier for readers to find the information in which they are interested. The BTS publication, National Transportation Statistics has more comprehensive and longer time series, tabulated data than could be accommodated by the new format. Another BTS report, Transportation Indicators, provides quarterly, monthly, and in some cases, weekly updates for over 90 indicators pertinent to transportation. Both of these documents are available online at www.bts.gov.