Intercity buses carry the most rural passengers

The intercity bus industry provides the most service for rural residents, reaching 91% (75 million) of the rural population and serves as the sole mode for 15 million people, according to recent findings by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). According to the Bureau, more then 94% of the nearly 82 million rural residents of the United States live within the service area of at least one commercial intercity transportation mode. By comparison, scheduled airline service reaches 70% (58 million) of the rural population and is the only mode for 2 million rural residents, and scheduled intercity passenger rail service reaches 42% (35 million) and is the sole mode for more than 300,000 people. For more information on the BTS findings, visit www.bts.gov/products/scheduled_intercity_transportation_and_the_us_rural_population/