BTS Releases Transportation Services Index (TSI):
Index Fell 0.1 Percent in August from July

            The Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 0.1 percent in August to 111.5 (2000=100) from the July level of 111.6, the second consecutive monthly decline, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today (Table 1).

            BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the August level of 111.5 for the combined freight and passenger index was 2.5 percent higher than the August 2004 level of 108.7 (Table 2). The August level was 10.7 percent higher than the August level of the base year of 2000 (Table 3).

            TSI is a single seasonally adjusted index of the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline, and local transit.   

            The index includes historic data from 1990 to the present.  The TSI is still under development and is considered experimental.  The index measures changes from the monthly average of the base year of 2000. Release of September numbers is scheduled for Dec. 6. 

Transportation Services Index for Freight 

            The TSI for freight rose 0.5 percent to 112.4 in August from the July level of 111.9, turning up after two consecutive monthly declines (Table 1).  The August 2005 level of 112.4 is 2.0 percent higher than the August 2004 level of 110.2 (Table 4).

Transportation Services Index for Passengers 

            The TSI for passengers fell 1.5 percent to 109.1 in August from the July level of 110.8, turning down after three consecutive monthly increases (Table 1).  The August 2005 level of 109.1 is 3.9 percent higher than the August 2004 level of 105.0 (Table 5).  

More on TSI 

            During the six months ending in August, the TSI rose 1.4 percent, the Freight TSI rose 0.8 percent and the Passenger TSI rose 2.8 percent (Table 1). 

            Notes: TSI numbers for May 2005 (Total, Freight, and Passenger) were revised because of revisions in the output data of the component transportation services. The May TSI is 112.0, revised from 112.6 reported in the October release. The May Freight TSI is 112.8, revised from 113.1. The May Passenger TSI is 110.0, revised from 111.2.  The TSI for June, July and August are preliminary. 

            TSI revision policy: TSI is updated monthly with the latest three months’ index numbers considered preliminary.  Each month BTS releases the latest preliminary TSI, and replaces the oldest preliminary TSI with a revised TSI.  The TSI for the oldest preliminary month, May, has been revised. All other revisions are held until an annual comprehensive revision of the TSI which will be released as part of the following July TSI release.  More information about the revision policy is available at http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml. 

Table 1: Percent changes in the Transportation Services Index by Month
Since February 2005 (Seasonally Adjusted, Monthly Average of 2000 = 100)

	TSI		Freight		Passenger
	Index	Pct. Change	Index	Pct. Change	Index	Pct. Change
February	110.0	-1.4	111.5	-1.2	106.2	-2.0
March	111.6	1.5	112.5	1.0	109.3	2.9
April	111.6	0.0	112.5	0.0	109.2	-0.1
MayR	112.0	0.4	112.8	0.2	110.0	0.8
JuneP	112.0	0.0	112.6	-0.2	110.3	0.2
JulyP	111.6	-0.3	111.9	-0.6	110.8	0.5
AugustP	111.5	-0.1	112.4	0.5	109.1	-1.5

 SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Note: P = preliminary
           R = revised

 

Table 2: Percent changes in the Transportation Services Index from Year-to-Year
August TSI  (Monthly average of 2000 = 100)

	TSI	Percent change from same month previous year
1996	87.4	2.0
1997	92.9	6.2
1998	97.8	5.3
1999	101.0	3.2
2000	100.7	-0.3
2001	101.5	0.8
2002	100.8	-0.6
2003	101.7	0.9
2004	108.7	6.9
2005P	111.5	2.5

 SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Note: P = preliminary

 

Table 3: Percent Changes in the Transportation Services Index from Previous Years to 2005
August to August

Percent change to August 2005	Since August           . . .	Duration in years
2.5	2004	1
9.6	2003	2
10.6	2002	3
9.9	2001	4
10.7	2000	5
10.4	1999	6
14.0	1998	7
20.0	1997	8
27.5	1996	9

 SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Table 4: Percent changes in the Freight Transportation Services Index from Year-to-Year
August Freight TSI  (Monthly average of 2000 = 100)

	Freight TSI	Percent change from same month previous year
1996	88.2	-0.1
1997	94.6	7.3
1998	100.7	6.5
1999	103.2	2.5
2000	101.1	-2.0
2001	100.7	-0.4
2002	103.0	2.3
2003	103.8	0.8
2004	110.2	6.2
2005P	112.4	2.0

 SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Note: P = preliminary

  

Table 5: Percent changes in the Passenger Transportation Services Index from
Year-to-Year  August Passenger TSI  (Monthly average of 2000 = 100)

	Passenger TSI	Percent change from same month previous year
1996	85.4	7.0
1997	88.8	4.0
1998	91.4	2.9
1999	95.8	4.8
2000	99.9	4.3
2001	103.2	3.3
2002	95.6	-7.3
2003	96.6	1.0
2004	105.0	8.8
2005P	109.1	3.9

 SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Note: P = preliminary