Transportation: Most and Least Efficient

[Fleet 500]

I mentioned a year or so back reading that a bicycle is the most efficient means of transportation.

I found the list I got the info from. From Nov. 25, 1981. I don't remember where I got it from. It may have been from one of those papers... National Enquirer or Globe.

Anyway, here is the list, from least to most efficient...

Helicopter
Large car
Train (regular)
Airplane
Train (electric)
Bus
Small car
2-level bus
Broad-gauge train
Electric bicycle
Bicycle

[Matra et Alpine]

This was a 2010 table ...

Originally Posted by http://truecostblog.com/2010/05/27/fuel-efficiency-modes-of-transportation-ranked-by-mpg/

List of Transportation Modes By Person-Miles Per Gallon (PMPG)

Transport Average PMPG
Bicycle 984
Walking 700
Freight Ship 340
Running 315
Freight Train 190.5
Plugin Hybrid 110.6
Motorcycle 71.8
Passenger Train 71.6
Airplane 42.6
Bus 38.3
Car 35.7
18-Wheeler (Truck) 32.2
Light Truck, SUV, Minivan 31.4

Table is the other way round and they use average occupancy to detemrine the PMPGs

[Fleet 500]

Thanks for posting that list, Matra.

I was wondering why walking was not in the list I posted, since it does "transport" people.

And motorcycle. No motorcycle on the list I provided for some reason.

[Matra et Alpine]

:cough: Did you get the list from an American source Fleet ?
You KNOW nobody walks and only gang members ride hogs
Had helicopters too and so most likely it was "transport for the rich" !!!

[Fleet 500]

What about a horse? A horse (and a horse-drawn stagecoach) is a form of transportation, too.

[Matra et Alpine]

Not a very realistic one now that pasture, straw, stables and blacksmiths aren't in every village Would be interesting tho !!

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by Fleet 500

What about a horse? A horse (and a horse-drawn stagecoach) is a form of transportation, too.

Emissions may be a problem!

[pimento]

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

Emissions may be a problem!

There's a tarp for that.

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by pimento

There's a tarp for that.

No, I'm talking about CO2 emissions!

Cows have severe CO2 and methane production, I would assume that horses would have similar problems.

Also, what's the difference between a wide gauge train and a simple train?

[Matra et Alpine]

Wide gauge trains are usually double deck and larger locomotive units which means more carriages/people.

[Fleet 500]

Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine

Wide gauge trains are usually double deck and larger locomotive units which means more carriages/people.

I was wondering what that meant!

[jcp123]

I read something similar to this a couple of years ago. It was written by a self-professed advocate of public transit - and an urban planning armchair quarterback. He did a decent analysis of the energy inputs for various forms of transit. Similar to P-MPG, it was measured in P-BTU's per mile and found that public transit wasn't as efficient as he thought it would be. Naturally, ridership in the US isn't what it could be, so as ridership goes up, so too would the P-BTU metric.

[Matra et Alpine]

yep any form of public transport only wins if the occupancy is sufficient.
When you get to a bus/train only having one person, you're better taking the car

[eddyjack6]

I have a car, but I love riding a bicycle a lot.