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Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Travel By Coach

travel by coach and reduce your carbon footprint

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Whenever we travel by some form of motorised vehicle, whether that be by car, bus, train or plane, there is always a carbon footprint involved.

When you use one of the free online carbon footprint calculators if you add in any form of travel your personal carbon footprint immediately shoots up. There are ways you can reduce this with things like carbon offsetting or choosing a more energy efficient mode of transport.

So Which Mode of Transportation is Best? 

I found a really handy table online that compares different modes of travel with how much carbon is produced. The table is based on information from government data and this methodology paper.

Without getting too technical about it I’ve included some of the main modes of transportation for you so you can see how they compare to each other…

  • Travelling by air in the UK produces 362.23 gCO2e/pkm
  • Travelling in a medium sized car produces 205.54 gCO2e/pkm
  • Travelling by bus produces 115.29 gCO2e/pkm
  • Travelling by train produces 57.58 gCO2e/pkm
  • Travelling by coach produces 35.47 gCO2e/pkm
  • Travelling by bicycle produces 0 gCO2e/pkm
  • Travelling by foot produces 0 gCO2e/pkm

Obviously, the best choice would be to walk or ride a bike. By switching from a car or van to walking or a bike a person can save 100% of their contribution to climate change. If a person switched to public transport such as a bus or train they can save 50%. You can find the top UK train destinations here: Train Destinations UK.

However, I do live in the real world and sometimes there just is no other option. I’m not about to suggest you bike to the Canary Islands for your Summer holiday. That would be crazy! But what I am saying is that there may be a better alternative out there for you that you hadn’t considered before.

Travelling by coach and reduce your carbon footprint

Related Post: Top Locations for a Green Holiday in Europe 

Why You Should Consider Travelling by Coach

As you can see from the results above travelling by coach is one of the better options to choose but is often overlooked as a way of travelling.

Below are just some of the benefits of opting to travel by coach…

Fuel-Efficient Travel

Modern buses and coaches are incredibly fuel efficient and it’s been proven that it’s the most energy-efficient way for people to be transported to their destination.

‘Coaches emit 0.03 kg of CO2 per passenger-kilometre; half that of trains and radically smaller than the 0.11 kg emitted by cars and 0.18 kg by airplanes’ Bus and Coach Smart Move

Reduce your carbon footprint: Travel by coach #GreenLiving #EcoLifestyle #CarbonFootprint #SustainableLiving Noxious emissions such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and other particles have been reduced by up to 98% in Europe over the past 20 years thanks to the bus and coach industry’s substantial investment in new technology. Source: EU Commission, 2009

To carry one passenger over 100 kilometres, buses and coaches need, on average, between 0.6 and 0.9 litres of diesel fuel whereas, on average, a diesel car will consume 5.9 litres of fuel, a gas-powered car 7.6 litres, an aeroplane 6.6 litres and high-speed trains 2.6 litres.

No other means of collective passenger transport is more energy efficientSource: ADEME study on the energy and environmental efficiency of transport modes, 2008

Helps to Reduce Congestion on the Roads 

As well as being a better option for reducing your personal carbon footprint opting to take a coach or bus can replace up to 30 cars on the road which helps to reduce congestion.

travel by coach reduce carbon emissions

It Can Save You Money 

If you choose to travel by car over a bus or coach it’s 3 x more expensive. Travel by rail and it’s 2 x more expensive. Yet another reason to opt for coach travel next time.

Travel by coach and reduce your carbon emissions

Related Post: The Future of Travel: Where To Holiday When the World Ends

Personally, I have travelled by coach in the past but that was in our pre-children days. Post kiddies we tend to travel mainly by water. However, now I have learnt the facts I will definitely look into coach travel for our next getaway.

So what about you? Would you choose to travel by coach for your next trip? 

Gina Caro

Collaborative Post 

1 thought on “Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: Travel By Coach”

  1. Yes, I will continue to travel by coach when possible – comfortable, quick, safe, reliable, and better views for the routes I have travelled. Thanks for answering an important question. You made some assumptions about occupancy and personal space and luggage carried, and would be good to compare like to like. Here’s hoping all these emissions numbers improve with time.

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