• Approximately 4,000 private motorcoach companies operate in the U.S. and Canada, carrying an estimated 860 million passengers in 1999. This compares with 568 million by commercial air carriers, and 377 million by commuter rail and Amtrak.

• The motorcoach industry comprises thousands of mostly small businesses. Sixty-five percent of known carriers operate fewer than 10 buses, but those smallest of companies carry an estimated 97 million passengers.

• A fully loaded motorcoach (46 passengers on average) on a charter or tour making an overnight stay contributes an average of $5,000 to $7,500 (USD) per day to the local economy in expenditures including meals, lodging, shopping, admission fees, souvenirs, and local taxes.

• Residents of the United states and Canada purchased a total of about 144 million overnight packaged trips during 2000. This accounted for approximately $186 billion in direct economic impact worldwide according to the National Tour Association.

• In 1999, motorcoaches were driven about 2.6 billion miles, with the average bus traveling 50,600 miles. The industry consumed 498 million gallons of fuel, yielding a conservative performance of 160 passenger miles-per-gallon.

Reprinted from a report by the American Bus Association