Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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Table 8-1
Domestic Passenger Travel by Mode

(Billions (or thousand millions) of passenger-kilometers)

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  Canada Mexico United States
1990 1995 1996 1990 1995 1996 1990 r1995 1996
Passenger-km, total N e523 N N N N 5,702 6,647 6,843
Air N N N 10 14 e13 578 667 716
Air carriers r25 r25 r27 10 14 e13 557 650 700
Road N e497 N N N N 5,084 5,938 6,082
Personal vehicles N e466 N N N N 4,888 5,720 5,860
Passenger cars N e368 N N N N 3,426 3,681 3,756
Motorcycles N e1 N N N N 19 18 18
Light trucks N e97 N N N N 1,442 2,021 2,086
Bus N e31 N N N N 195 219 223
Charter N e3 N N N N N N N
Intercity N e3 N e272 e383 e391 N N N
Local motor N e13 N N N N 34 30 p30
School N e13 N N N N N N N
Rail                  
Intercity passenger 1 2 2 5 2 2 10 9 8
Transit N a  N N N N 66 64 p66
Transit rail N N N N N N 31 32 p34
Water transport N N N 0.2 0.2 0.2 N N N

aCanadian data for all transit services for 1995 are included in the estimate for local motor bus, under road. The transit rail portion of transit services cannot be broken out.

KEY: e = Data are estimated. N = Data are nonexistent. p = Data are preliminary. r = Data are revised.

NOTES

All Countries

Air: The U.S. total for air represents both air carriers and general aviation. However, only the large certificated air carriers are included. See Appendix B for a more complete explanation. The Mexican air total represents only scheduled air carriers. However, nonscheduled and general aviation represents a very small share of passenger travel in Mexico. Canadian data for total air activity are nonexistent because data for general aviation are not collected.

Road: Data do not include passenger travel by commercial freight vehicles.

Transit and water transport: For the United States, ferry activity is included in the total for transit. For Mexico, data for overall transit activity are nonexistent because the data are not collected. However, Mexican data for water transport do represent ferry activity. Canadian data for transit overall and ferry activity are nonexistent because the data are not collected.

Canada

Air carriers: Includes Level I to III Canadian air carriers. For a definition of these, See Appendix B.

Mexico

Air: Data for general aviation are not included in the air total.

Intercity bus: Data refer to intercity buses utilizing Mexico's federal highway system.

United States

Passenger-kilometers, total: Is not the sum of the subcategories because local motor bus is included in both the road and transit totals. This double counting has been removed from the overall total.

SOURCES

Canada

Air carriers: Statistics Canada. Canadian Civil Aviation, Catalogue No. 51-206-XPB. (Ottawa, Ont.: various years). 

Road: Transport Canada. Ministry of Public Works and Government Services. Transportation in Canada 1997 - Annual Report. (Ottawa, Ont.: 1998).

Rail: Statistics Canada. Rail in Canada, Catalogue No. 52-216-XPB. (Ottawa, Ont.: various years). 

Mexico:

Air: Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil. (Mexico City, D.F.: 1998).

Road: Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Dirección General de Autotransporte Federal. (Mexico City, D.F.: 1997).

Rail: Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México. Series Estadísticas, 1990, 1995 and 1996. (Mexico City, D.F.: various years).

Water transport: Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Coordinación General de Puertos y Marina Mercante. (Mexico City, D.F.: 1998).

United States

Air: U.S. Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Office of Airline Information. Air Carrier Traffic Statistics. (Washington, DC: 1986-1997).

  U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Statistical Handbook of Aviation   1996. Web site: www.bts.gov

Road: U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Highway Statistics, Summary to 1995. (Washington, DC: 1996).

  U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Highway Statistics, 1996.   (Washington, DC: 1997).

  American Public Transit Association (APTA). Transit Fact Book. (Washington, DC: various years). 

Intercity passenger rail: National Railroad Passenger Corp. Amtrak Annual Report 1996. (Washington, DC: 1996). 

Transit rail: American Public Transit Association. Transit Fact Book. (Washington, DC: various years).