Coach travel: carbon footprint per passenger-km
Live factor value
0.03948 kgCO2e per passenger-km
Source: UK DESNZ greenhouse-gas conversion factors, 2026 (revision 2). Factor set desnz-2026-r2.
Long-distance coach is consistently among the lowest-carbon motorised ways to travel between cities: the official DESNZ 2026 factor per passenger-km, shown live below, is lower than local buses and national rail on average, thanks to high occupancy and efficient motorway cruising.
For intercity trips where the train is impractical or costly, the coach is usually the lowest-emission option available — a London–Edinburgh coach seat produces a small fraction of the same trip by car or plane.
Worked example
London to Edinburgh by coach (~640 km): 640 × 0.03948 = 25.3 kgCO2e.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is coach travel lower-carbon than the train?
- On the official UK averages, coach per passenger-km is slightly below national rail — both are dramatically lower than driving alone or flying the same route.