Census: Motorcoach industry regaining strength

Passenger trips, number of motorcoaches operated and motorcoach mileage all rose between 2004 and 2005, according to the “Motorcoach Census 2005” and its supplement “Motorcoach Census 2006 Update,” released by the American Bus Association (ABA). The census, which is the first for the industry since 1999, and the update reflect 2004 and 2005 end-of-year data for the U.S. and Canada, respectively. Those surveyed for the census included members of the ABA, the International Motorcoach Group, Motor Coach Canada, Trailways and the United Motorcoach Association. Important findings in the update include a 6% rise in passenger trips from 595 million in 2004 to 631 million in 2005. Also, the number of motorcoaches operated increased 1.5% in 2005, to 39,068 compared with 38,000 in 2004, and motorcoach mileage rose 2.3%, from 2.3 billion miles in 2004 to 2.44 billion miles in 2005. Additional findings of the census include, 47.9% of motorcoach operators face competition from transit agencies; 69.6% buy fuel at retail; and almost half of the carriers reported operating other revenue generating vehicles. Both the “Motorcoach Census 2005” and “Motorcoach Census 2006 Update” can be found on ABA’s Website, www.buses.org.