Technology Use on Buses

DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development explores how passengers use personal electronic devices on public transportation.

Passenger Personal Technology Use

About the Report: This 2014 report, the fifth in a series from DePaul University, explores the rising use of personal electronic devices among passengers on intercity buses, planes, and trains. This report’s sample consisted of 7,034 passengers on 106 departures.
Key Highlights:
- The use of personal devices among passengers remains on an upward trajectory. Discount city-to-city bus services (such as Megabus) experienced the fastest increase in personal technology use. More than 59% of passengers on discount bus lines were “powered up”— an increase from 46.4% the prior year—a rate that outdistances Amtrak, conventional buses, and air travel by a wide margin.
- Technology use on airlines remained virtually flat and continues to lag behind other modes, suggesting that the relaxation of the FAA policy on the use of personal electronic devices is having little effect. The new policy allows the use of certain devices during takeoffs and landings but appears to have been greeted unenthusiastically by flyers who are still unable to connect to Wi-Fi or 3G/4G systems, send text messages, or place phone calls.
- Tablet/e-reader use once again has risen sharply on all modes observed. More than one-third of devices used on airplanes are now tablets or e-readers.
- The ability to use devices continues to stimulate the demand for bus and train travel.

How to Cite This Report: DePaul University, Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development. (2014). The Personal Tech Tidal Wave (2014 Update). Retrieved from https://www.buses.org/aba-foundation-research-summary/technology-on-buses-research-depaul-university.
Report Authors: Joseph P Schwieterman, Marisa Schulz, Justin Kohls, Noah Boggess.
Contact information: For inquiries, email research@buses.org or call (202) 218-7227.

The findings draw upon the Chaddick Institute’s Technology in Intercity Travel Study, which began in late 2009. Since then, the study has expanded to encompass 32,000 unique passenger observations (in which no passenger is counted more than once on a given trip) on 516 bus, plane, and train trips throughout the United States. In addition, more than 10,000 observations have been made in Canada, Europe, and South America since the study began.