{"id":10219,"date":"2025-02-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acea.auto\/?post_type=facts&#038;p=10219"},"modified":"2025-03-24T15:39:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T14:39:01","slug":"buses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important","status":"publish","type":"facts","link":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/fact\/buses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Buses: what they are and why they are so important"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro block-container\"><p>Buses are the most widely-used form of public transport in the EU, serving cities as well as suburban and rural areas. They are also the most cost-efficient and flexible form of public transport, requiring minimal investments to launch new lines or routes.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"cntnt block-container\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-buses\">What are buses?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The European classification system defines buses and coaches as \u201cvehicles having at least four wheels, designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver\u2019s seat\u201d.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buses and coaches are classified as the \u2018M2\u2019 category (for those under 5 tonnes) or \u2018M3\u2019 (for those exceeding 5 tonnes) by the system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-are-buses-so-important\">Why are buses so important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buses and coaches improve social inclusion, providing access to education, employment, and healthcare to all \u2013 including those on low incomes, those who do not drive, the older generation, people with disabilities, and people living in remote areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buses are the most widely-used form of public transport in the EU, serving cities as well as suburban and rural areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are also the most cost-efficient and flexible form of public transport, requiring minimal investments to launch new lines or routes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have gained popularity worldwide as a cost-effective alternative to far more expensive urban rail investments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coaches move people comfortably and affordably across long distances.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buses and coaches are vital contributors to tourism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With one bus capable of replacing 30 cars on the road, buses help ease traffic congestion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buses and coaches have the lowest carbon footprint per passenger of any form of motorised transport.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buses are a safe transport mode, responsible for just 2% of road fatalities in the EU.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\t\t<blockquote class=\"shareable-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">With one bus capable of replacing 30 cars on the road, buses help ease traffic congestion. Buses also have the lowest carbon footprint per passenger of any form of motorised transport.<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"share-links\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-buttons\"><a class=\"twitter resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet\/?text=With%20one%20bus%20capable%20of%20replacing%2030%20cars%20on%20the%20road%2C%20buses%20help%20ease%20traffic%20congestion.%20Buses%20also%20have%20the%20lowest%20carbon%20footprint%20per%20passenger%20of%20any%20form%20of%20motorised%20transport.&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--twitter resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon twitter\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"linkedin resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F&amp;title=With%20one%20bus%20capable%20of%20replacing%2030%20cars%20on%20the%20road%2C%20buses%20help%20ease%20traffic%20congestion.%20Buses%20also%20have%20the%20lowest%20carbon%20footprint%20per%20passenger%20of%20any%20form%20of%20motorised%20transport.&amp;summary=&amp;source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--linkedin resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon linkedin\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"facebook resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--facebook resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon facebook\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"whatsapp resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"whatsapp:\/\/send?text=With%20one%20bus%20capable%20of%20replacing%2030%20cars%20on%20the%20road%2C%20buses%20help%20ease%20traffic%20congestion.%20Buses%20also%20have%20the%20lowest%20carbon%20footprint%20per%20passenger%20of%20any%20form%20of%20motorised%20transport.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" data-action=\"share\/whatsapp\/share\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--whatsapp resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon whatsapp\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"email resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"mailto:?subject=With%20one%20bus%20capable%20of%20replacing%2030%20cars%20on%20the%20road%2C%20buses%20help%20ease%20traffic%20congestion.%20Buses%20also%20have%20the%20lowest%20carbon%20footprint%20per%20passenger%20of%20any%20form%20of%20motorised%20transport.&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_self\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--email resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon email\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"print resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"javascript:;\" onclick=\"window.print()\" target=\"_self\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--print resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon print\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-figures\">In figures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>55.7%<\/strong> of all public transport journeys in the European Union (or 32.1 billion passenger journeys per year) are made by urban and sub-urban buses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>327 billion kilometres<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 7.3% of passenger transport on land in the EU is made by buses and coaches.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This represents 327 billion passenger-kilometres per year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>720,783 <\/strong>\u2013 There are 720,783 buses in circulation on the EU\u2019s roads today.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>12.5 years<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 The average age of the EU bus fleet is 12.5 years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>32,593 <\/strong>new buses and coaches were registered throughout the EU in 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>44 <\/strong>\u2013 There are 44 bus assembly plants in Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>53,368 <\/strong>European buses were exported in 2023, worth \u20ac1.1 billion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>62.3%<\/strong>&nbsp;of all new buses sold in the European Union are powered by diesel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>15.9%<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Electrically-chargeable vehicles (battery electric and plug-in hybrid) together represent 15.9% of new bus sales in the EU.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>1.9%<\/strong>&nbsp;of all buses on the road today are electrically-powered vehicles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\t\t<blockquote class=\"shareable-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content\">55.7% of all public transport journeys in the European Union (or 32.1 billion passenger journeys per year) are made by urban and sub-urban buses.<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"share-links\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-buttons\"><a class=\"twitter resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet\/?text=55.7%25%20of%20all%20public%20transport%20journeys%20in%20the%20European%20Union%20%28or%2032.1%20billion%20passenger%20journeys%20per%20year%29%20are%20made%20by%20urban%20and%20sub-urban%20buses.&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--twitter resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon twitter\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"linkedin resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F&amp;title=55.7%25%20of%20all%20public%20transport%20journeys%20in%20the%20European%20Union%20%28or%2032.1%20billion%20passenger%20journeys%20per%20year%29%20are%20made%20by%20urban%20and%20sub-urban%20buses.&amp;summary=&amp;source=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--linkedin resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon linkedin\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"facebook resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" 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resp-sharing-button--whatsapp resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon whatsapp\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"email resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"mailto:?subject=55.7%25%20of%20all%20public%20transport%20journeys%20in%20the%20European%20Union%20%28or%2032.1%20billion%20passenger%20journeys%20per%20year%29%20are%20made%20by%20urban%20and%20sub-urban%20buses.&amp;body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acea.auto%2Ffact%2Fbuses-what-they-are-and-why-they-are-so-important%2F\" target=\"_self\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--email resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon email\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><a class=\"print resp-sharing-button__link\" aria-label=\"\" href=\"javascript:;\" onclick=\"window.print()\" target=\"_self\">\n                    <span class=\"resp-sharing-button resp-sharing-button--print resp-sharing-button--small\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"resp-sharing-button__icon resp-sharing-button__icon--solid\">\n                        <i class=\"social-icon print\"><\/i>\n                    <\/span>\n                <\/span>\n            <\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"attch block-container\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div>\n<div class=\"acea-widget someTypeofwidget\"><h2 class=\"widget-title\"><\/h2><div class=\"widget-content\"><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","priority-tags":[764,765,766,767,738,832,806,804,778,771,769,768,774,770,798,801,807,812,813,800,817,819,830,792,795,761],"vehicles":[851,839,837],"class_list":["post-10219","facts","type-facts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","priority-tags-alternatively-powered-vehicles","priority-tags-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-electrically-chargeable-vehicles","priority-tags-battery-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-green-clean","priority-tags-registrations-of-vehicles","priority-tags-safe-road-users","priority-tags-road-safety","priority-tags-smart-efficient","priority-tags-gas-vehicles","priority-tags-fuel-cell-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-renewable-fuels","priority-tags-hybrid-electric-vehicles","priority-tags-public-transport","priority-tags-safe-reliable","priority-tags-safe-vehicles","priority-tags-road-accidents","priority-tags-global-competitive","priority-tags-urban-mobility","priority-tags-vehicle-fleet","priority-tags-international-trade","priority-tags-market-and-economy","priority-tags-mobility-solutions","priority-tags-transport-policy","priority-tags-powertrain-options","vehicles-all-vehicles","vehicles-commercial-vehicles","vehicles-buses"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts\/10219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/facts"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts\/10219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52843,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/facts\/10219\/revisions\/52843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"priority-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/priority-tags?post=10219"},{"taxonomy":"vehicles","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.acea.auto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vehicles?post=10219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}