Improving Intercity Travel
[Highlights]
Although it is often assumed that long-distance trips in the United States are made by air, aviation has a majority share only for round-trip distances of more than 1,000 miles. Among all round trips of 100 miles or more, 89 percent are by automobile and about 7.5 percent by air; charter buses account for about 2 percent and intercity passenger rail for about 0.8 percent (Figure 3). Despite the dominance of the highway mode for intercity travel, aviation plays a large role. U.S. passengers travel about half a trillion miles by air annually (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Pocket Guide to Transportation, 2004, Table 11). Thus the importance of policies affecting this mode is clear.
Long-Distance Travel in the United States
by Principal Means of Transportation