Bus Transportation Services Industry Profile

Companies in this industry transport passengers by bus. Major companies include First Student, First Transit, and Greyhound (all are US-based divisions of FirstGroup); as well as Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport (India); ComfortDelGro (Singapore); FirstGroup, National Express, and Stagecoach (all based in the UK); Nobina (Sweden); and Transport International Holdings (Hong Kong).

Worldwide demand for bus transportation is driven by population growth. Currently estimated at about 7.5 billion, the global population is expected to reach roughly 10 billion in 2050, according to the United Nations. Most of the growth is expected to occur in urban areas in developing economies.

The US bus transportation industry includes about 10,300 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $26 billion. Key growth drivers include increases in population density and employment levels.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand depends mainly on the demographic makeup and growth of the local population. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations. Large companies can have advantages in buying fuel and in maintaining fleets. Small companies can compete by providing specialized services. The urban, school, interurban and rural bus transportation segments are highly concentrated. The charter and special needs transportation segments are fragmented.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major types of services include local transportation by road (about 50%) and fixed-route passenger transport (about 40%). Other services include long-distance passenger transport (about 10%).

Companies in all sectors of the industry acquire buses, hire ...