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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

Average Passenger Fares

(current dollars)

Embedded Dataset Excel:

Dataset Excel:

table_03_18_032824.xlsx (29.89 KB)

Description:

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

a Data for years after 1994 are not comparable with prior years or with numbers published in the previous NTS report.

b Regular route Intercity service.

c Prior to 1984, excludes Commuter rail, automated guideway, urban ferryboat, demand responsive, and most rural and smaller systems.

d Amtrak began operations in 1971.

Source:

Air carrier, domestic, scheduled service:

1960: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1969 (Washington, DC: February 1970), part III, table 2 (enplanements); part IV, table 2 (passenger revenue).

1965-70: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1973 (Washington, DC:  March 1974), part III, table 2 (enplanements); part IV, table 2 (passenger revenue).

1975-80: Civil Aeronautics Board, Air Carrier Financial Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December issues), p. 1, line 3; and Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December Issues), p. 2, line 16 (passenger revenue / revenue passenger enplanements). 

1985: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Financial Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December Issues); and Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December Issues) (passenger revenue / revenue passenger enplanements). 

1990-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, TranStats Database, T1: U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Summary by Service Class, available at  https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 14, 2017, and Air Carrier Financial Reports, Schedule P-12, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 14, 2017.

1995-2023: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare in Current and Constant Dollars (Washington, DC: Quarterly Release), available at https://www.bts.gov/content/annual-us-domestic-average-itinerary-fare-current-and-constant-dollars as of Mar. 13, 2024.

Class I bus, intercity:

1960-93: Interstate Commerce Commission, Transport Statistics in the United States, Motor Carriers (Washington, DC:  Annual Issues), part 2.

1994-2002: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Selected Earnings Data, Class I Motor Carriers of Passengers (Washington, DC:  Annual Issues) (operating revenue / revenue passengers).

Transit and commuter rail:

1960-2001: American Public Transportation Association, Public Transportation Fact Book Appendix A: Historical Tables (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table 43, and similar tables in earlier editions (passenger fares / passenger trips).

2002-22: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (Washington, D.C.: Annual Reports), Annual Database Fare Revenue and Annual Database Service, available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/ntd-data as of Mar. 13, 2024.

Intercity rail / Amtrak:

1960-70: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues).

1975-80: Amtrak, State and Local Affairs Department and Public Affairs Department, personal communication.

1985-96: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report, Statistical Appendix (Washington, DC: Annual Issues) (transportation revenues / Amtrak system passenger trips).

1997-99: Amtrak, Amtrak Annual Report (Washington, DC: Annual Issues) (ticket revenue per passenger mile multiplied by average trip length of passengers), p. 67, as of March 4, 2013.

2000-15: Amtrak, News Release (ticket revenue divided by ridership), available at http://www.amtrak.com as of Apr. 17, 2018.

2016-23: Amtrak, September Monthly Performance Report (ticket revenue divided by ridership), available at https://www.amtrak.com/reports-documents as of Mar. 18, 2024.

Publications: