Depending on how many people are onboard, coaches produce between five and 10 times fewer emissions per passenger than planes (Vincent 2007).

Research by the University of NSW found that a plane on a domestic flight between Sydney and Melbourne could produce as much as 5.5 tonnes of CO₂, which is roughly equivalent to 11 days of driving – despite it only taking 9 hours to drive to Melbourne!

The reason planes are so much worse is that they move about 10 times faster than cars, and the faster something goes the more energy it uses – and the more fossil fuels it burns.

Coaches are significantly more environmentally friendly than cars and campervans! Depending on how many people are onboard, coaches produce between five and 10 times fewer emissions per passenger than cars (Vincent 2007).

The emissions burden of any form transport is reduced when it's shared by passengers. If someone was to drive a car between Sydney and Melbourne by themselves, the greenhouse impacts would be pretty much the same as flying!

Carbon emissions are even higher for campervans due to their larger size and lower fuel efficiency, not to mention extra energy requirements for things like fridges and heaters.

Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered the carbon footprint of a coach is less than one third the size than that of a train. The study measured the amount of greenhouse gases that were emitted per passenger to travel 1 kilometre. It found that coaches produce 0.22kg CO2/km, while heavy trains are more than triple at 0.7kg CO₂/km (Blackburn 2007).

Train systems also require extensive infrastructure like tracks and stations, which have an embedded carbon cost not accounted for in operational emissions. Coaches, however, use existing road networks and avoid additional infrastructural emissions.

If you’re after the greenest option for travel, coach travel is the clear winner (Guardian Australia 2022). Coaches have been shown to have the lowest average emissions per seat kilometre of all transport modes on land (UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero 2022).

In fact, CO₂ emissions from coach transport is estimated to be less than 1% of total tourism-related emissions, with a fully-booked coach more efficient than planes, trains, campervans, and private/rental cars in terms of energy intensity (Peeters, van Egmond & Visser 2004).

No. Unfortunately, the infrastructure simply does not yet exist in Australia to support long-distance electric coach travel, especially when you take into consideration the remoteness of where our Greyhounds operate. However, we are keeping a close eye on technology developments and hope there might be a solution soon!