Amtrak and Motorcoach Service Comparison Research

This American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) commissioned research analyzes the costs of Amtrak train and motorcoach bus travel in 2013.

Supporting Passenger Mobility and Choice by Breaking Modal Stovepipes: Comparing Amtrak and Motorcoach Service

Executive Summary

• About the Report: This 2013 analysis compares customer costs (fare, travel time) and societal costs (government subsidies, air emissions) associated with twenty specific trips taken between select U.S. cities on both an Amtrak train and on a scheduled intercity motorcoach bus.
• Key Highlights:
  • Considering fully allocated costs (capital and operating expenses) motorcoaches average ($/passenger) less than 25% of the cost to provide comparable Amtrak service. The average savings to passengers and taxpayers to provide bus service over train service ranges from $17.03 to $422.39 per passenger.
  • Total travel time is comparable for these modes; for 10 of the 20 trips total travel time is shorter by train than by bus; for the other 10 trips, total travel time is shorter by bus. For half of the trips, the difference in travel time between modes is less than one hour.
  • Excluding the Northeast Corridor, where Amtrak operates electric locomotives, the average impact of scheduled intercity motorcoach service on air quality is lower than the impact of Amtrak service. Average per-passenger emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides are approximately 80% lower for motorcoach trips than for Amtrak trips, and average emissions of volatile organic hydrocarbons are approximately 90% lower.

Citation

• How to Cite This Report: American Bus Association. (2013). Comparison of Essential Air Service Program to Alternative Coach Bus Service. Retrieved from https://www.buses.org/aba-foundation-research-summary/amtrak-and-motorcoach-service-cost-comparison-research/.
• Report Author: M.J. Bradley & Associates LLC.
• Sponsored by: American Bus Association Foundation, The Reason Foundation, Taxpayers for Common Sense.
• Contact information: For inquiries, email research@buses.org or call (202) 218-7227.

Methodology

• For this analysis, the authors analyzed 20 specific trips between select city pairs in
• the continental United States. Most of the analyzed trips are approximately 200 miles in length, but several are shorter and several are as long as 600 miles. The specific trips included in the analysis were chosen to provide representative geographic coverage of the lower 48 states, urban and rural trips, Amtrak trips on the Northeast Corridor, as well as short-corridor and long-distance Amtrak trains.