What is the carbon footprint of a bus?

This typically shows that a bus emits more than twice the carbon dioxide per passenger km than a car with four passengers. For example, the latest 2022 Defra statistics show that an average petrol car emits 170g of carbon dioxide vs 96g for an average bus, and 35g for national rail per passenger km.



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Mathews points to research showing that trains emit the lowest of CO2 per passenger mile at 177 grams per passenger mile. Buses come in at 299 grams per mile, second-worst only to cars at 371 grams.

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According to the International Energy Agency, cars emit between 57 and 322 gCO2-eq/pkm—compared to buses at just 22-92 gCO2-eq/pkm, and trains at 6-118 gCO2-eq/pkm. International Energy Agency: “GHG intensity of passenger transit modes, 2019.”

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Thomas Rubin, Marcy Lowe, Bengu Aytekin and Gary Gereffi Debate Public Transit Buses: A Green Choice Gets Greener. The American Public Transit Association claims that public transit saves an estimated 1.4 billion gallons of gas annually, which translates into about 14 million tons of CO2.

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Every vehicle on the road releases an average of one pound of CO2 per mile driven. Compared with driving alone, taking public transportation reduces CO2 emissions by 45%, decreasing pollutants in the atmosphere and improving air quality.

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Public transportation use saves the U.S. the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually — and more than 11 million gallons of gasoline per day. Public transportation use saves the equivalent of 300,000 fewer automobile fill- ups every day.

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Finally, the plane is the most polluting means of transport and the one that generates the most greenhouse emissions.

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Environmental Impact of School Buses That's the equivalent of 3.75 pounds of carbon dioxide for every mile driven. Electrifying the entire fleet of U.S. school buses would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 8 megatons per year and reduce emissions from all U.S. buses by 35%.

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A bus or train ride emits three to seven times less emissions than an airplane flight. Two people who take a bus instead of driving (even a hybrid!) will cut their CO2 emissions by half!

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