RITA | BTS | Table 1-11: Number of U.S. Aircraft, Vehicles, Vessels, and Other Conveyances

Table 1-11: Number of U.S. Aircraft, Vehicles, Vessels, and Other Conveyances

	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Air
Air carrier^a	2,135	2,125	2,679	2,495	3,808	4,678	6,083	6,054	7,320	7,297	7,370	7,411	7,478	7,616	8,111	8,228	8,055	8,497	8,194	8,176	8,186	8,225	8,089	8,044	7,856	7,771	7,431
General aviation^b(active fleet)	76,549	95,442	131,743	168,475	211,045	210,654	198,000	196,874	185,650	177,120	172,935	188,089	191,129	192,414	204,710	219,464	217,533	211,446	211,244	209,708	219,426	224,352	221,943	231,607	228,663	223,877	223,370
Highway, total (registered vehicles)	74,431,800	91,739,623	111,242,295	137,912,779	161,490,159	177,133,282	193,057,376	192,313,834	194,427,346	198,041,338	201,801,921	205,427,212	210,441,249	211,580,033	215,496,003	220,461,056	225,821,241	235,331,382	234,624,135	236,760,033	243,010,550	247,421,120	250,844,644	254,403,081	255,917,664	254,212,610	250,272,812
Light duty vehicle, short wheel base	61,671,390	75,257,588	89,243,557	106,705,934	121,600,843	127,885,193	133,700,496	128,299,601	126,581,148	127,327,189	127,883,469	128,386,775	129,728,341	129,748,704	131,838,538	132,432,044	133,621,420	137,633,467	135,920,677	135,669,897	136,430,651	136,568,083	135,399,945	196,491,176	196,762,927	193,979,654	190,202,782
Motorcycle	574,032	1,381,956	2,824,098	4,964,070	5,693,940	5,444,404	4,259,462	4,177,365	4,065,118	3,977,856	3,756,555	3,897,191	3,871,599	3,826,373	3,879,450	4,152,433	4,346,068	4,903,056	5,004,156	5,370,035	5,767,934	6,227,146	6,678,958	7,138,476	7,752,926	7,929,724	8,212,267
Light duty vehicle, long wheel base	U	U	14,210,591	20,418,250	27,875,934	37,213,863	48,274,555	53,033,443	57,091,143	59,993,706	62,903,589	65,738,322	69,133,913	70,224,082	71,330,205	75,356,376	79,084,979	84,187,636	85,011,305	87,186,663	91,845,327	95,336,839	99,124,775	39,186,974	39,685,228	40,488,025	40,241,658
Truck, single-unit 2-axle 6-tire or more^c,d	U	13,999,285	3,681,405	4,231,622	4,373,784	4,593,071	4,486,981	4,480,815	4,369,842	4,407,850	4,906,385	5,023,670	5,266,029	5,293,358	5,734,925	5,762,864	5,926,030	5,703,501	5,650,619	5,848,523	6,161,028	6,395,240	6,649,337	8,116,672	8,288,046	8,356,097	8,217,189
Truck, combination^c,d	11,914,249	786,510	905,082	1,130,747	1,416,869	1,403,266	1,708,895	1,691,331	1,675,363	1,680,305	1,681,500	1,695,751	1,746,586	1,789,968	1,997,345	2,028,562	2,096,619	2,154,174	2,276,661	1,908,365	2,010,335	2,086,759	2,169,670	2,635,347	2,585,229	2,617,118	2,552,865
Bus	272,129	314,284	377,562	462,156	528,789	593,485	626,987	631,279	644,732	654,432	670,423	685,503	694,781	697,548	715,540	728,777	746,125	749,548	760,717	776,550	795,274	807,053	821,959	834,436	843,308	841,993	846,051
Transit ^e
Motor bus	49,600	49,600	49,700	50,822	59,411	64,258	58,714	60,377	63,080	64,850	68,123	67,107	53,339	54,946	55,661	57,352	58,578	60,256	60,719	61,659	61,318	62,284	64,025	63,359	63,151	63,343	63,108
Light rail cars	2,856	1,549	1,262	1,061	1,013	717	910	1,092	1,055	1,001	1,051	1,048	1,097	1,062	1,061	1,160	1,306	1,359	1,448	1,482	1,622	1,645	1,801	1,802	1,948	2,059	2,096
Heavy rail cars	9,010	9,115	9,338	9,608	9,641	9,326	10,567	10,478	10,391	10,282	10,282	10,166	10,243	10,228	10,296	10,362	10,311	10,718	10,849	10,754	10,858	11,110	11,052	11,222	11,377	11,461	11,510
Trolley bus	3,826	1,453	1,050	703	823	676	610	551	665	635	643	695	675	655	646	657	652	600	616	672	597	615	609	559	590	531	571
Commuter rail cars and locomotives	U	U	U	U	4,500	4,035	4,982	5,126	5,164	4,982	5,126	5,164	5,239	5,425	5,535	5,549	5,497	5,528	5,631	5,866	6,130	6,290	6,300	6,279	6,494	6,722	6,768
Demand response	U	U	U	U	U	14,490	16,471	17,879	20,695	23,527	28,729	29,352	17,738	19,820	20,042	20,761	22,087	24,668	24,808	25,873	26,333	28,346	29,406	29,433	30,773	34,235	33,555
Other^f	U	U	U	U	U	867	1,176	1,568	1,821	2,268	2,462	2,809	5,344	6,245	7,105	7,467	7,705	8,137	8,033	8,626	10,544	11,622	12,454	12,953	14,953	17,766	18,066
Rail
Class I, freight cars	1,658,292	1,478,005	1,423,921	1,359,459	1,168,114	867,070	658,902	633,489	605,189	587,033	590,930	583,486	570,865	568,493	575,604	579,140	560,154	499,860	477,751	467,063	473,773	474,839	475,415	460,172	450,297	416,180	397,730
Class I, locomotive	29,031	27,780	27,077	27,846	28,094	22,548	18,835	18,344	18,004	18,161	18,505	18,812	19,269	19,684	20,261	20,256	20,028	19,745	20,506	20,774	22,015	22,779	23,732	24,143	24,003	24,045	23,893
Nonclass I freight cars	32,104	37,164	29,787	29,407	102,161	111,086	103,527	97,492	90,064	88,513	86,120	84,724	87,364	116,108	121,659	126,762	132,448	125,470	130,590	124,580	120,169	120,195	120,688	120,463	109,487	108,233	101,755
Car companies and shippers freight cars	275,090	285,493	330,473	334,739	440,552	443,530	449,832	458,679	477,883	497,586	515,362	550,717	582,344	585,818	618,404	662,934	688,194	688,806	691,329	687,337	693,978	717,211	750,404	805,074	833,188	839,020	809,544
Amtrak, passenger train car	U	U	U	1,913	2,128	1,854	1,863	1,786	1,796	1,853	1,852	1,722	1,730	1,728	1,962	1,992	1,894	2,084	2,896	1,623	1,211	1,186	1,191	1,164	1,177	1,214	1,274
Amtrak, locomotive	U	U	U	355	419	291	318	316	336	360	338	313	299	332	345	329	378	401	372	442	276	258	319	270	278	274	282
Water
Nonself-propelled vessels^g,h	16,777	17,033	19,377	25,515	31,662	33,597	33,597	U	30,899	30,785	30,730	31,209	32,811	33,011	33,509	33,387	31,360	33,042	32,381	31,335	31,296	33,152	32,211	31,654	31,238	31,008	31,412
Self-propelled vessels^h,i	6,543	6,083	6,455	6,144	7,126	7,522	8,236	U	8,311	8,323	8,334	8,281	8,293	8,408	8,523	8,379	8,202	8,546	8,621	8,648	8,994	8,976	8,898	9,041	9,063	9,101	9,100
Oceangoing self-propelled vessels (1,000 gross tons and over)^j	2,926	2,376	1,579	857	864	737	636	619	603	565	543	509	495	477	470	463	454	443	426	418	423	366	344	275	272	196	U
Recreational boats^k	2,450,484	4,138,140	5,128,345	7,303,286	8,577,857	9,589,483	10,996,253	11,068,440	11,132,386	11,282,736	11,429,585	11,734,710	11,877,938	12,312,982	12,565,930	12,738,271	12,782,143	12,876,346	12,854,054	12,794,616	12,781,476	12,942,414	12,746,126	12,873,091	12,692,892	12,721,541	12,438,926

KEY: U = data are unavailable; R = revised.

^a Air carrier aircraft are those carrying passengers or cargo for hire under 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135. Beginning in 1990, the number of aircraft is the monthly average of the number of aircraft reported in use for the last three months of the year. Prior to 1990, it was the number of aircraft reported in use during December of a given year.

^b 1991-94 data revised to reflect changes in adjustment for nonresponse bias with 1996 telephone survey factors; 1995-97 data may not be comparable to 1994 and earlier years due to changes in methodology. Includes air taxi aircraft. Beginning in 2004, commuter activity is excluded from all estimates. Commuter activity was included in the air taxi use category in 2003 and prior.

^cIn 1960, this category includes all Trucks and Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles.

^d 1965: Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle data included in all Trucks.

^ePrior to 1984, excludes most rural and smaller systems funded via Sections 18 and 16(b)(2), Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, as amended. Also prior to 1984, includes total vehicles owned and leased.

^f Other includes aerial tramway, automated guideway transit, cable car, ferry boat, inclined plane, monorail, and vanpool.

^g Nonself-propelled vessels include dry-cargo barges, tank barges, and railroad-car floats.

^hData for Jan. 1, 1991-June 30, 1991 included in 1990 figure.

ⁱSelf-propelled vessels include dry-cargo and/or passenger, offshore supply vessels, railroad-car ferries, tankers, and towboats.

^j1960-2006 data includes private and government owned vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over. Beginning in 2007, data are reported only for privately-owned vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over. Calendar Year 2009 includes privately owned vessels of 10,000 deadweight tons and above not including the Great Lakes vessels. All the data are year-end data.

^kRecreational vessels that are required to be numbered in accordance with Chapter 123 of Title 46 U.S.C.

NOTES

Data for 2007-10 were calculated using a new methodology developed by FHWA. Data for these years are based on new categories and are not comparable to previous years. The new category Light duty vehicle, short wheel base replaces the old category Passenger car and includes passenger cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles with a wheelbase (WB) equal to or less than 121 inches. The new category Light duty vehicle, long wheel base replaces Other 2-axle, 4-tire vehicle and includes large passenger cars, vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles with wheelbases (WB) larger than 121 inches. This edition of 1-11 is not comparable to previous editions.

Transit Motor bus figure is also included as part of bus in the Highway category.

Bus and Demand responsive in these tables refer to a mode of service, not to a specific vehicle type. Demand responsive service, defined as roadway service directly from an origin to a destination determined by the rider and not following a fixed-route, is usually provided by vans, small buses and in a limited number of cases by large buses. Bus service is a variety of roadway services that share the characteristic of being entirely or partially fixed routes. Bus service includes local service, express service, subscription service, diversionary route service, loop service, and other types. Although Bus service is normally provided by buses, it can be provided by smaller vehicles that may be considered large vans.

For more detail on oceangoing vessels, see table 1-23.

Transit data for 1996 and later years are obtained from the National Transit Database and cannot be compared with data for earlier years.

SOURCES

Air:

Air carrier:

1960-65: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, 1970 (Washington, DC: 1970), table 5.3.

1970-75: Ibid., 1979 edition (Washington, DC: 1979), table 5.1.

1980-85: Ibid., Calendar Year 1986 (Washington, DC: 1986), table 5.1.

1990-94: Ibid., Calendar Year 1997 (Washington, DC: unpublished), table 5.1, personal communication, Mar. 19, 1999.

1995-2008: Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace Facts and Figures(Washington, DC), p. 94 and similar tables in earlier editions.

2009-10: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Quality Assurance Division, personal communications, Nov. 2, 2011, and Mar. 08, 2012.

General aviation:

1960-65: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, 1969 (Washington, DC: 1969), table 9.10.

1970-75: Ibid., Calendar Year 1976 (Washington, DC: 1976), table 8-6.

1980: Ibid., General Aviation Activity Survey, Calendar Year 1980 (Washington, DC: 1981), table 1-3.

1985: Ibid., Calendar Year 1985 (Washington, DC: 1987), table 2-9.

1990-2010: Ibid., General Aviation and Air Taxi Activity Survey (Annual Issues), table 1.2, available at http://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/general_aviation/ as of Mar. 8, 2012.

Highway:

Passenger car:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table MV-201.

1995-2006: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Nov. 14, 2011.

Light duty vehicle, short wheel base:

2007-10: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Mar. 8, 2012.

Motorcycle:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table MV-201.

1995-2010: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Mar. 8, 2012.

Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles:

1970-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A.

1995-2006: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Nov. 14, 2011.

Light duty vehicle, long wheel base:

Single-unit and combination trucks, and buses:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A.

1995-2010: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Mar. 8, 2012.

Transit:

1960-1995: American Public Transit Association, Public Transportation Fact Book, Appendix A: Historical Tables (Washington, DC), table 17 available at: http://www.apta.com/RESOURCES/STATISTICS/Pages/transitstats.aspx as of May 3, 2010.

1996-2010: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database, Annual Data Tables, table 19 (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), available at http://www.ntdprogram.gov/ntdprogram/data.htm as of Jan. 13, 2012.

Rail (all categories, except Amtrak):

1960-2010: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), pp. 52 and 69 and similar pages in earlier editions.

Amtrak:

Passenger train-cars and locomotives:

1975-80: Amtrak, State and Local Affairs Department, personal communication.

1985-2000: Ibid., Amtrak Annual Report, Statistical Appendix (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 47.

2001-10: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 77 and similar pages in earlier editions.

Water transportation:

Nonself-propelled vessels and self-propelled vessels:

1960-2010: U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Transportation Lines of The United States, Volume 1, National Summaries (New Orleans, LA : Annual Issues), tables 1 and 2, available at http://www.ndc.iwr.usace.army.mil//veslchar/pdf/wtlusvl1_09.pdf as of Mar. 8, 2012.

Oceangoing self-propelled vessels:

1960-2000: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Merchant Fleets of the World (Washington, DC: Annual issues), and unpublished revisions.

2001-09: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, personal communication, January 2008, June 2010, and February 2011.

Recreational boats:

1960-2010: U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, Boating Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table 35, available at http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.aspx as of Jan. 25, 2012.