Are buses bad for the environment?

An article at reportonbusiness.com titled "Road to hell is paved with public transit" suggests that on average buses produce more carbon emissions than cars per passenger. The article was also published in the local Telegraph Journal where a commenter suggests that the city ought not invest in transit because of this.

According to the research presented in the article buses are inefficient due to low ridership. The article also points out that cars are getting more efficient as technology progresses. The article also suggests that transit also fails at providing safer transportation that cars.

Before Saint John throws away its transit system we should consider a few things. First, the transit system provides transport to those who can't afford other means of getting around (a social benefit). Second, Saint John buses may or may not have adequate ridership to make them environmentally wise (this would have to be determined). Third, Saint John may have older cars than average that are less efficient than those with emission rates mentioned in the article. Fourth, older travel in inefficient cars may be replaced with bus travel. If transit is being used instead of the least efficient cars, comparing it to the performance of hybrids and compact cars may be flawed.