You’ve probably heard about coach bus rentals and charter bus services that specialize in tour group trips, but if you’re like most people, you probably haven’t realized just how important the coach bus industry really is for U.S. transportation today.
For starters…
- It’s estimated that coach bus services provide more than 750 million passenger trips in the U.S. per year. That’s a lot of people who have saved money and gasoline by choosing to travel via bus rather than on an airplane or a gas-guzzling SUV!
- Coach bus transportation has actually been around for centuries, believe it or not, and the very first coach buses were horse-drawn carriages. The technology used in buses today is a lot more advanced (and a lot more comfortable) — thank goodness — but it’s pretty impressive that the industry has been important enough for so many years that, despite the rise of other efficient and fast vehicles, coach buses still provide millions of trips each year.
- In terms of energy efficiency, the newest buses are definitely driving up competition for other types of vehicles. Buses get the most passenger miles per gallon of gas, they’re more efficient at reducing carbon dioxide levels than trains are, and many bus companies have begun implementing electric or hybrid technology into their buses to increase efficiency even more.
- And let’s not forget about tourism! Because coach buses are capable of transporting so many people at once, just one overnight trip can generate thousands of dollars of revenue for a town when passengers are in need of hotels, restaurants, and fun things to do.
- Last but not least, charter bus companies are important simply because they provide transportation for so many people who would otherwise have few options for affordable public transportation. With an estimated 3,400 coach bus companies nationwide, this industry has become one of the fastest growing parts of the transportation sector. And if you ask us, it’s not about to slow down any time soon!