Nathan Associates, a consulting firm, announced that buses are the most fuel-efficient transportation mode in the United States. The report showed that motor coaches offered 148.4 passenger miles per gallon in 2004.
This figure shows that the mode of transportation is doing its share in the reduction of fuel consumption of the country. A bus capacity to accommodate a huge number of persons made them the most fuel-efficient mode of transportation.
The sector though is suffering from the declining number of passengers which is due to the advent of air travel which have become cheaper. This takes a lot of passengers fore this mode of transportation in the U.S. While there may be lesser passengers on today's inter-city buses compared in the past, the sector still provides good fuel savings for the country.
According to the study, the second most fuel efficient sector is inter-city trains which provided 74.1 passenger miles per gallon. Air carriers meanwhile also offered 40.9 passenger miles per gallon. Automobiles only achieved 35.4 passenger miles per gallon for the same year.
The American Bus Association President, Peter J. Pantuso, has this to say about the result of the study: "As energy conservation and environmental issues take center stage in Congress and with the traveling public, the motor coach industry is proud to be the leader in transportation fuel efficiency. Motor coaches are striving to do their part to help the U.S. achieve energy security."
This study shows that even as the auto industry is developing ways to increase fuel efficiency, other sectors are already providing good value for the amount of fuel that they consume. This also shows that every sector in the U.S. is doing its share to support the administration's goal to reduce fuel dependence on other countries.
The sector will be a good help in making President Bush's "Twenty in Ten" program. While most buses today are running on petroleum diesel, their switch to biodiesel is forthcoming. This means that the sector can increase their efficiency and at the same time take care of the environment. As the country strives to address the global warming issue, the sector is in a position to help out in the goal.
According to the study, "the motor coach transportation service industry is the number one people mover. In 2005 the industry carried 631,000,000 passengers in the United States and Canada alone. The motor coach transportation service industry carries one-fourth more passengers than the airline industry and twice more than Amtrak and commuter rail combined." The buses employed by the industry are even more fuel efficient than automobiles equipped with performance enhancing aftermarket parts like Saturn cold air intake system.
Given her background on cars as an auto insurance director, Lauren Woods finds the world of cars to be constantly changing.
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