Straight Goods: November 9, 2009

El piloto manoeuvers our large state-of-the-art machine smoothly out of Gate 76 of the massive Buenos Aires terminal. We are on schedule.

Once we are en route, a smartly dressed attendant surveys passengers for their choice of hot meal options, while details of our journey and on-board amenities are announced. After dinner, and a glass (actually two) of wine, my neighbour reclines her leather seat to near horizontal and is soon sound asleep. I stretch my legs, don my headphones, and watch a popular movie as the landscape speeds by.

I am not in a commercial airliner, or even in an upscale train. Instead I am in an intercity bus ¬— although not the kind of bus that Canadians have come to expect, and hate. This luxury (double-decker) bus is common for long distance travel in Argentina, among other countries.

We could have the same service in Canada, or even better. In fact, in a world where scientists warn that we must reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80 percent within the next several decades to avoid catastrophic climate change, buses provide a real, even a comfortable, part of the solution.

Consider the heavily-traveled Toronto-Kingston-Montreal or Edmonton- Red Deer-Calgary routes, for example. While we wait for much talked about high-speed trains that won’t be arriving any time soon — given the $20-$40 billion price tag — we stand in ever-longer security lines at airports, wait for inconveniently-scheduled and under-funded (or non-existent) trains, or pass our time unproductively sitting in cars. We could be relaxing in modern buses that produce only a fraction of the GHGs.

Here’s a proposal for busy Canadian routes, based on an idea in celebrated English journalist George Monbiot’s book Heat. Selling features include comfort, frequency of service, speed, accessibility, and low cost .

First, passengers would be valued instead of tolerated. There would be more leg and elbow-room, perhaps by putting three instead of four seats across the width of the bus (similar to buses already operated by Red Arrow in Alberta). Each patron would have computer plug-in and internet access, music options, and a monitor for movies to help pass the time quickly ¬— or productively. No need to fret about your meeting in Montreal ¬— you will have time to prepare at your mini-office on board.

Second, the buses would leave the point of origin at least every five minutes — a frequency of service that means you could never miss the bus. It wouldn’t even be necessary to plan the travelling portion of a trip ¬— just hop on the bus, Gus (as the song goes).

Third, the system would be given advantages to cut travel time around the edges, making total trip time attractive relative to other modes. Station stops would be adjacent to highways and connected to municipal transit systems so that passengers could get onto buses and buses onto highways within minutes. The buses would be given priority on busy highway stretches with high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
In Ontario and Quebec, drivers could be permitted to travel slightly over the posted 100 km/h speed limit, given that their professional training makes them less prone to error. (The speed limit in Alberta is already 110km/h.) Covering the Edmonton-Calgary (under 300km) and the Toronto-Montreal (540 kms) routes would take about three and five hours, respectively — less for passengers who embark at intermediate points.

Fourth, the new system would rely on existing highway infrastructure. The only significant cost would be for building passenger stations near highway on-off ramps at the origin and destination points, and cities along the way. In some cases, existing bus terminals like the one at Toronto’s Yorkdale subway station near Hwy 401 could be altered for the purpose. (And no one would ever be asked to use a dreadful place like Toronto’s existing downtown terminal.)

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Finally, the investment needed for the system would be negligible, leaving plenty of money for advertising to change public attitudes toward buses and tout the climate benefits: “Its cool(er), for the planet, to take the bus.” Provincial ministries of transportation could play a leading role in promoting the system — probably in conjunction with private operators — and thereby do their part in the climate fight.
The long-term GHG strategy could also include moving more commercial freight off our highways and onto rail since moving freight by rail emits about 90 percent less GHGs than moving it by truck, according to Monbiot. Thus our rails are arguably more wisely dedicated to freight movement.

The graph below tells the story of the benefit of greater reliance on buses for inter-city passenger travel:

Sources: US EPA, KAIROS, Center for Clean Air Policy, VIA Rail, Transport Canada, Environment Canada

It’s worth noting that bus emissions are about half that of the fuel efficiency-leading Toyota Prius hybrid and one fifth that of regional jets. Thus a round trip bus passenger from Toronto to Montreal is responsible for less than 40 kgs of GHG emissions while the same trip by jet causes about 180 kgs.

The assumed occupancy rates for the graph are the highway average of
1.8 passengers per car, and 70 percent occupancy for rail, bus, and air modes. Only the Atlantic run of the French TGV train comes close to rivaling the bus —¬ but it’s worth asking how long it would take taxpayers to earn the $20 billion plus cost of constructing a similar line in Canada.

Eliminating a certain number of seats (and permitting higher speeds) on the proposed bus links will increase emissions per passenger although keeping buses out of stop-and-go city traffic should make up for the difference, as would longer or double-decker buses like the 81-seat Megabus, which recently started a Toronto-Montreal run. England’s National Express coach service already touts emissions per passenger-km of only 30g.

The biggest benefit of the proposed bus system is that it would deliver major climate, air quality, safety, and congestion benefits almost immediately with minimal investment and planning. Hundreds of highly polluting flights and tens of thousands of car trips could be eliminated daily once the bus system is up and running. New jobs would also follow for drivers and other staff, and potentially for workers in Canada’s bus-manufacturing industry.

For all of these reasons, I hope soon to hear the words:

“All aboard the fast bus to Montreal!” or
“Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride to Edmonton.”