Buses for Planes Would Save $89 Million

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Taxpayers would save up to $89 million a year if buses rather than planes served 38 cities where the U.S. subsidizes flights, the American Bus Association said in a study.

The average cost of providing service would be reduced by as much as $291 per passenger, according to the Washington-based trade group’s study. Rather than considering only air service for these cities, the U.S. should “look at what makes the most sense,” Peter Pantuso, the association’s president and chief executive officer, said on a call with reporters today.

The association, which represents companies such as FirstGroup Plc (FGP)’s Greyhound Lines Inc., looked at cities within 150 miles of a medium-sized or large hub airport that have flights subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

Projected per-passenger bus costs are lower than current air fares on more than half the routes studied, meaning commercial bus companies may be able to operate on them without government support, the bus association said. Smaller subsidies would be required on some routes, it said. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-13/buses-for-planes-would-save-89-million.html

[SheilaT]

1. And of course busses are so much

faster than planes.

[amborin]

2. we have high speed commuter buses in So California; sometimes they can be

faster than planes, especially factoring in wait times for flights;

e. g. at LAX one can either take a commuter flight to Santa Barbara or take the fast fly way bus....many opt for the latter...

[librechik]

3. high speed rail is even better

and conceivably, someday, solar powered.

[Fumesucker]

5. Anything that runs on electricity can conceivably be solar powered..

I rode on clean, quiet and fast electric buses when I was in grammar school in the late fifties.

[originalpckelly]

8. Yeah, most people don't know about electric buses powered from overhead lines.

The one problem, however, is that the method by which you power these buses is not easy or reliable, because you need to make contact with two wires, where a train can use its rail as the return.

[Fumesucker]

12. The technology exists to overcome all those objections and did in the early 50's..

With modern materials, electronics and engineering the Gyrobus concept should work far better now than it did back then and it keeps the amount of added infrastructure needed for electric buses to an absolute minimum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrobus

[amborin]

6. true, but they're not as immediately implementable as buses

[originalpckelly]

9. They are the best for time competition for airplanes on these routes.

But they can only be implemented cost efficiently in areas with higher population densities.

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. Hmmm if that's what the BUS ASSN's study says, I wonder what the airline assn's study will say.

:rofl:

You couldn't find a more biased piece if you tried.

[msongs]

7. they own some congresspersons so what will those congresspersons say? nt

[RC]

11. Or the high speed passenger train association.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. That's about the only way I can imagine a plane trip would be more unpleasant

if it were a bus.