Buses World News

29.1.11

Report * USA - Buses Are 'Fastest Growing Transportation Mode’

Long-distance bus services are thriving in the United States

(Photo: Boltbus)

Chicago,ILL,USA -The Infrastructurist, by Eric Jaffe -January 20, 2011: ... America’s intercity buses seem to do best along corridors also serviced by fast trains — namely, the East Coast. If new research is correct, however, the success of intercity buses may be approaching a national phenomenon... According to a new report by transit researchers Joseph Schwieterman and Lauren Fischer of DePaul University, buses showed the most growth of any intercity transportation mode in America in 2010 — the third year in a row they achieved this distinction...

The number of weekday bus departures rose to 2,125 last year, a 6 percent increase from 2009. By comparison, airline departures rose just 3 percent, while Amtrak mileage rose just half a percent over a similar period, according to the report: ... Intercity buses seem to be outpacing other modes when it comes to ridership growth as well. While Amtrak and airline ridership last year grew 5.6 percent and roughly 5 percent, respectively, the new report estimates that bus ridership grew about 33 percent... The key to the industry’s rise, it seems, is the popularity of “curbside” operators like Megabus and BoltBus — as opposed to those housed in traditional stations, like Greyhound — which accounted for more than one-fifth of all daily bus departures in 2010. Part of this recent appeal is that most curbside companies have upgraded their coaches to include amenities like WiFi...

Labels: expanding buses' service, report

27.10.08

Everybody benefits from buses * USA

Old habits are hard to break, including the one most Thurston County commuters have of driving their car — alone — to work

Olympia,WA,USA -The Olympian -October 27, 2008: -- ... A recent study by IT and the American Public Transportation Association estimated that a typical transit user in the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater area can save about $250 a month, or $3,000 a year by switching from their single occupancy vehicle to the bus for their commute to work... Potential savings for a commuter jumps substantially if their change in commuting leads to one less household car — $712 a month or, about $8,550 a year... Of course, the key to leaving the car keys home is easy, timely access to transit service. It also helps to have a stationary job that doesn't require a lot of daily travel outside the workplace... Intercity Transit has rebounded from the drastic cuts in service it experienced when voters eliminated the motor vehicle excise tax, a major source of IT funding, in 2000... Thanks to a boost in sales tax funding, IT has been able to expand its service territory four times since February 2003, helping shape and respond to a double-digit increase in ridership the past several years. That includes a 16.7 percent increase in the first eight months of 2008... The IT ridership profile fits with the national trend: transit trips hit 10.3 billion across the nation last year, the highest figure in 50 years. Meanwhile vehicle miles traveled declined for the first time since 1980...

* Everyone wins with buses

Salem,MASS,USA -The Satesman Journal, by Bryan Mercier -October 27, 2008: -- I recently moved back to Salem from Washington, D.C., which has a world-class public transportation system. It was so good, in fact, I sold my car and saved over $3,000 a year... I read that the Salem-Keizer Cherriots provides over 5 million rides a year. I'm proud to see the Salem residents see the value of a good transit system, which is good for the city, its residents and their pocketbook... We all win with good bus service. I support public transportation. Please vote yes for buses — vote yes on 24-247...

Labels: expanding buses' service