The bus is frequently regarded as one of the most convenient and cheapest modes of transportation in the US. Furthermore, traveling by bus also represents an effective way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More than 35% of the US public bus services have adopted cleaner alternative energies, such as hybrid fuels or electricity since 2011. Moreover, the bus has further contributed a great part to greener travel between cities. According to the American Bus Association (ABA), city-to-city buses produce the lowest carbon footprint as opposed to planes, railway services or cars.
“Every day is Earth Day when you ride by bus,” says ABA President Peter Pantuso. He emphasizes that modern eco-friendly technologies allow for green bus trips within the US. This could be illustrated at the example of the iconic Greyhound Bus, which has installed low emission engines to its bus fleet since 2014 and uses clean burning fuel to move 18 million travelers annually across the country. Implementing innovative technologies to fight against traffic pollution has become a trend within the uprising American bus industry. The bus companies not only make efforts to enhance their bus models with almost zero-emission engines but also add other new features on board to ensure a clean bus journey.
Another bus company that fully embraced the concept of going green is megabus. Noted for providing flexible and affordable bus services between the cities, megabus has gone the extra mile in pursuit of green intercity travel. This year the company invested millions of dollars in introducing a new eco-driving system to its 2,400 buses in the US, following a successful trial in the UK market. The newly embedded bus system GreenRoad has helped megabus manage to lower its fuel comsumption, resulting in a drop by 3% in the UK, which later became the goal for the US market as well. In addition, more than 3,200 megabus drivers have been benefiting from lower risks of traffic accidents and the unique reward program from GreenRoad that offers financial incentives based on the bus drivers’ behavior.
“Unlike other telematics that are looking at tracking the location, the vehicle, and the driver, we’re looking at it from the perspective of how drivers behave on the road,” says Zeev Braude, CEO of GreenRoad. He believes this innovative system will bring in a good solution of greener and safer bus trips for megabus by focusing especially on improving bus drivers’ actions. With the joint effort of the US bus industry, passengers will continue to enjoy eco-friendly and safe bus trips.
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