How does motor coach travel protect the environment?

• Motor coaches are a greener, fuel-efficient way to go, naturally. Each coach carries as many as 56 passengers, which keeps numerous cars off the road, ultimately reducing emissions and traffic congestion. A motor coach uses about 17 gallons of fuel to travel 100 miles (assuming 6 miles per gallon). Taking the same number of people the same distance by car would use 70 gallons of fuel.

• Passenger cars alone have caused about 60 percent of U.S. carbon emissions over the last 20 years, according to some studies. A private vehicle is the largest contributor to a person's carbon footprint.

• Motor coaches on average deliver 336 passenger miles per gallon of fuel. In contrast, single-occupant automobiles achieve 28 passenger miles per gallon at highway mileage.

• Motor coach travel offers an immediate alternative for those seeking to reduce their energy use and carbon footprints.

Is travel by motor coach really a greener way to ride?

Given all of today's transportation options, the motor coach is the best way to travel if you're looking to minimize your output of carbon dioxide during your trip. Travel by motor coach uses less fuel and produces less CO2 than comparable travel in other modes of long-distance transportation.

In a study done by Clean Air-Cool Planet, a New Hampshire non-profit group, a comparison was made of two people traveling by car, plane, train and motor coach on an estimated 236-mile round-trip the distance from Washington, DC, to New York City, one of the nation's most-traveled corridors. Switching to motor coach travel for the approximately 12,300 miles annually traveled via the automobile would reduce a driver's carbon dioxide emissions by 6.7 tons.

An even fainter footprint is ahead. Today's newest motor coaches are cleaner still, due to low-emission, clean-diesel engine technology mandated by the EPA that includes a diesel particulate filter. The DPF, in combination with Ultra Low Sulfur Fuel, cuts particulate matter by 90 percent. The new coaches emit about 16 pounds of CO2 per passenger on a 236-mile trip.

What does "powered by clean-diesel technology" mean?

Today's new motor coach models are cleaner than ever before. The EPA has mandated new diesel-engine technology that reduces particulate matter (black smoke) by 90 percent and reduces Nitrogen oxides by 52 percent. Diesel is the world's most efficient internal combustion engine, providing more power than gasoline, compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas. A new emission control system, particulate traps that collect the black soot, new low-ash oil, and ultra low sulfur diesel fuel add up to a huge improvement in emissions reductions. Oil companies have reduced the sulfur in diesel from 500 parts per million to the EPA-mandated level of less than 15 ppm. Additional diesel engine technology is unfolding for 2010 that should reduce NOx by 82 percent.

Do you use Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel or Bio-Diesel Fuel? Our newest motor coach models can run on either Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel or a Bio-Diesel blend.

In addition to your new clean diesel coach models, what other ways do you conserve energy?

Our coaches feature components that help us to minimize fuel consumption, including the SmarTire® tire pressure monitoring system. We subscribe to our tire manufacturers' recycling program. Drivers are well-trained and adhere to appropriate driving standards to conserve fuel. We recycle all fluids and have a stringent maintenance program in place that keeps our fleet in top shape for better fuel efficiency.

What type of amenities and entertainment options do your coaches feature?

With great curb appeal and extraordinary riding comfort, our motor coach models by MCI are the industry's best-sellers for good reason. On board, passengers enjoy tiered theater seating, plush reclining seats, individual reading lights and airflow controls, along with scenery-sized windows and a state-of-the-art entertainment system featuring 15-inch flat screen video monitors.

Is there anything else to know about motor coach travel?

Yes. Higher fuel costs, global warming and more comfortable, luxurious models are driving more consumers to travel by motor coach. A study recently published by Joseph Schwieterman, a professor at De Paul University, found that intercity coach travel has been enjoying a significant rebirth, expanding throughout the country at the fastest rate in more than 40 years.

Sources:
M.J. Bradley & Associates Comparison Study - May 2007
American Bus Association
Clean-Air Cool Planet
Diesel Technology Forum
Biodiesel.org
School of Public Service Policy Study DePaul University