Safety in Travelling? The Bus Is Your Best Bet.

John R. Phillips
6 min readApr 5, 2021

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We at Nations Bus Sales can talk about road transportation modes for hours. Especially buses. Call us and we can discuss every aspect of every type of bus, be it a minibus, or a limo coach, or a shuttle bus for sale, no matter new or used. Features can be compared and decisions can be made on the must-haves and which are not important to us. The commonality in every discussion here is that vehicle safety is a non-negotiable feature when travelling.

Sum it up this way: Certain things cannot be compromised in life. You can think of a few yourselves. What about life itself, then? No-brainer.

So today, we take one aspect of safety and raise the question:

What Is The Safest Mode Of Road Transportation?

Data speaks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_motor_vehicle_collisions
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The above chart is of a collated chart of 27-member nations of EU between the years 2008–10. The frequency of fatalities in cars is far greater than those of buses, across 27 countries. Another study by American Public Transportation Association titled ‘The Hidden Traffic Safety Solution: Public Transportation’ concludes than on a per mile basis, transit trips are 10 times safer than cars [2]. You can find numerous other case studies which leave no room for doubt that almost all buses are safer than almost all cars. Hardly will you find an exception to this case.

So What Exactly Is It About Buses That Make Them Safer?

First off, buses are built to withstand impact. The laws of physics dictate that added momentum makes buses suffer less of a change in velocity than smaller vehicles like cars. So in case of a collision, buses will prove less fatal than a car. Buses are compartmentally designed, with the seat backs absorbing energy from an accident. Buses have enough space for huge emergency exits alongside providing passengers the ability to stand and move, and make others move. Imagine a fire that is slowly suffocating the passengers. Buses are also spacious enough to store regular first-aid boxes, fire extinguisher systems, CCTV installations, etc.

Cars are driven by anyone with a general license; buses are driven by trained individuals. Since the entire reputation of the company hinges on passengers being safe, companies employ highly adequate drivers for the job to transport people between destinations. Another added point is that even if it is a used shuttle bus, safety is still likely to have been uncompromised.

Buses Are Safe For Students As Well

Consider this: school buses are proven to be 7 times safer than a family car! School buses are packed with features like reinforced sides, cross-view mirrors, crush standards, size and height, flashing red lights, stop sign arms and more. Moreover, responsible drivers who are well-trained in their domain ensure that they navigate children with utmost expertise. American School Bus Council and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimate that students are about 50 times safer in buses than driving themselves! [3]

Transforming The Societal Status Quo As Well

1 school bus takes about 36 cars off the road. These are official estimates from the NHTSA and ASBC. The implication here is that we are breathing about 320 million pounds of additional carbon dioxide due to the usage of cars over buses. If you are big on environment, ditch the car whenever you can.

Why are buses better than cars?

If you’ve read the article ‘Safety in Travelling? The Bus Is Your Best Bet’ you will definitely realize the value of shuttle buses in the safety department as compared to cars. Granted that premium cars will give you safety features, but a shuttle bus for sale, be it new or used, has an in-built guarantee of safety, simply by virtue of it being a bus.

Additionally, shuttle buses provide many more options than a car that one might prefer/consider: recliner seats, entertainment systems complete with sound systems, TVs, WiFi etc. for a home-theatre ambience; cool area for beverages, ample legroom — perks that almost no car can offer.

Are shuttle buses safer than cars in the snow?

Travelling in snow is a risky business. Even if it’s not you, some other drivers might put up the wrong kind of show on the roads. As such, it recommended to avoid undertaking long journeys in snow, if you can do so. To answer the question, yes, buses are generally considered safer than cars in snow as well. Their traction is great, and it is even better driving uphill. Shuttle buses with engines in the front allow better steering than cars as well.

However, responsible driving and keeping up with the shuttle bus’ maintenance are the ultimate factors in safety, even in used shuttle buses. Make sure the brakes, lights and wipers are in good working order, along with the heat and the defrost. Keep your gas tank full, as it prevents the line from freezing. Have gas-line anti-freezes readily with you, and if you can, install snow tires.

How is a shuttle bus safer than a car?

Generally speaking, yes, shuttle buses are safer than cars. The primary reason is that a shuttle bus is a bus. Buses are safer than cars by virtue of their size, compartmentalized style design, added momentum resulting in lesser velocity, thus reducing chances of fatality. Other reasons why both new and old shuttle buses are safer than cars is because they have big emergency exits and space for safety kits like first-aid boxes and fire extinguishers and also room enough to move as needed in case of emergencies, to save self and others like little kids as well.

Why traveling by bus is more fun than a car?

It’s like outsourcing your duty and retaining your fun. The driver’s credibility and competitiveness? Outsourced. Vehicle maintenance? Outsourced. Which route to take, when to start, what do we need. Everything will be taken care of by the company. All you have to do is pay the suitable price and enjoy.

In addition, buses can have full-blown entertainment systems with surround sound boxes, TVs, WiFi facilities and a cozy space to relax and watch. These amenities are not possible in cars due to size constraints. One can also hang out in buses with cool storage for beverages available in many buses. Recliner seats only add to the relaxation. You don’t need to own a bus for occasional trips, so the price makes sense too. It is a proven fact that they are safer than cars too.

Finally, a bus can hold a large group of people, and it is not without reason that the saying goes — the more, the merrier.

Nations Bus Sales is the No.1 Bus Dealers in the U.S. Our shipping services extend to Canada and Mexico as well. Check out some of our shuttle buses below. You can always visit our inventory page for the full inventory of new and used shuttle buses for sale.

  1. 2021 Champion Challenger 270 Low Floor

2. 2020 Grech Motors GM28

3. 2020 Champion Defender 380 Executive

4. 2021 Grech EG40 w Rear Lavatory

5. 2009 Van Hool T2145

6. 2020 World Trans WT 250 Executive

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John R. Phillips
John R. Phillips

Written by John R. Phillips

I’m John, a Florida-based Motor vehicle writer by profession and more than 10 years of experience writing about the Bus industry.

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