(Btu per passenger-mile)

Embedded Dataset Excel:

Dataset Excel:

Notes:

To calculate total Btu, multiply fuel consumed (see tables 4-21, 4-22, 4-24, 4-26) by 135,000 Btu/gallon for air carrier; 125,000 Btu/gallon for Light duty vehicle, short wheel base, Light duty vehicle, long wheel base, and Motorcycle; 138,700 Btu/gallon for Transit motor bus and Amtrak diesel consumption; and 3,412 Btu/KwH for Amtrak electric consumption.

Amtrak passenger-miles data for 2000 and earlier years are for fiscal years; and are not be comparable with 2001 and later years which is reported in calendar year.

Transit motor bus data for 1996 and later years are obtained from the National Transit Database and cannot be compared with data for earlier years.

Description:

KEY: Btu = British thermal unit; N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available.

^a Data from 2007 were calculated using a new methodology developed by FHWA. Data for these years are based on new categories and are not comparable to previous years. The new category Light duty vehicle, short wheel base replaces the old category Passenger car and includes passenger cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles with a wheelbase (WB) equal to or less than 121 inches. The new category Light duty vehicle, long wheel base replaces Other 2-axle, 4-tire vehicle and includes large passenger cars, vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles with wheelbases (WB) larger than 121 inches. This edition of 4-20 is not comparable to those before the 2019 edition.

^b U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), provides data separately for Light duty vehicle, short wheel base and Motorcycle in its annual Highway Statistics series. However, the 1995 summary report provides updated data for Light duty vehicle, short wheel base and Motorcycle combined. Light duty vehicle, short wheel base figures in this table were computed by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, by subtracting the most current motorcycle figures from the aggregate Light duty vehicle, short wheel base and Motorcycle figures.

^c 1960-65, Motorcycle data are included in Light duty vehicle, short wheel base (previously Passenger car), and Long duty vehicle, long wheel base (previously Other 2-axle, 4-tire vehicle) data are included in Single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more Truck.

Source:

Air:

Passenger-miles:

1960-70: Air Transport Association, available at http://www.air-transport.org/ as of July 31, 2002.

1975-2023: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T1: U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Summary by Service Class, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/ as of Oct. 10, 2024.

Fuel consumed:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Airline Fuel Cost and Consumption, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/fuel.asp as of Oct. 10, 2024.

Highway:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, table VM-201A, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Jan. 11, 2022. 

1995-2022: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Oct. 10, 2024.

Transit motor bus:

1960-95: American Public Transportation Association, 2010 Public Transportation Fact Book Appendix A: Historical Tables (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), tables 2, 6, 30, 32  and similar tables in earlier editions, available at http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/transitstats.aspx as of Aug 23, 2010.

1996-2014:  U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database, tables 17, 19, and similar tables in earlier editions, available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/ntd-data as of Apr. 13, 2016.

2015-23: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database, Annual Database Energy Consumption and Annual Database Service, available at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/ntd-data as of Oct. 10, 2024.

Amtrak:

1975-2001: Amtrak., State and Local Affairs Department, personal communication.

2001-23: Amtrak, personal communications, Jan. 7, 2010, Jul. 26, 2011, Apr. 24, 2012, June 9, 2014, Sept. 11, 2015, Jun. 21, 2016, Aug. 8, 2017, May 30, 2019, Aug. 31, 2020, Aug. 19, 2021, Sep. 22, 2022, Jul. 26, 2023, and Jul. 16, 2024.