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Compare the carbon footprint of different transport modes — cars, trains, flights, buses, bikes, and more. See how your travel choices stack up.
A typical bus produces 68–90 g CO2 per passenger-km versus 170–271 g for a solo car driver — making buses 40–75% lower carbon. For a daily 20 km commute, switching from solo car to bus saves approximately 900–1,800 kg CO2 per year depending on the country.
Trains produce 6–40 g CO2 per passenger-km (electric) or 35–60 g (diesel) — far less than cars (120–170 g solo, 30–43 g with 4 passengers) or flights (150–250 g domestic, 100–150 g long-haul economy). For most journeys under 800 km, trains are the greenest option by a wide margin.
Cruise ships are one of the most carbon-intensive ways to travel, producing 200–400 g CO2 per passenger-km — comparable to or worse than flying. A 7-day Caribbean cruise produces roughly 1,100–2,100 kg CO2 per passenger, equivalent to driving a car for 6,000–12,000 km.
Cycling produces approximately 5 g CO2 per km (lifecycle, including food energy and bicycle manufacturing), compared to 120–270 g for a car. E-bikes produce about 8–10 g/km. Switching a 10 km daily car commute to cycling saves roughly 500–700 kg CO2 per year.
Over a typical 200,000 km lifetime, an EV produces 40–60% fewer total emissions than a petrol car in most countries — even after accounting for battery manufacturing. The advantage is largest in countries with clean electricity grids (France, Canada, UK) and smallest in coal-heavy grids (India, Australia).
Switching from a solo car commute to public transport can reduce your commuting carbon footprint by 50–90%. Buses produce 60–100 g CO2 per passenger-km, metros 20–50 g, and trains 6–55 g — compared to 120–270 g for a solo car driver.