How loud is a bus?
Dosimetry on New York City buses found an average (Leq) of 75.3 dBA inside the bus and 76.0 dBA at bus stops. The loudest moments were far higher: 96.8 dBA inside a bus and 101.6 dBA at a stop.
- Level
- 75.3–76 dBAA-weighted sound level
- Daily limit
- No daily limitNIOSH, at the loud end
- Versus conversation
- 21× energyabout 2.5× as loud
What the numbers mean
How it was measured. New York City buses, personal dosimetry in June and July 2007: mean Leq 75.3 dBA inside buses and 76.0 dBA at stops. Maximum levels reached 96.8 dBA inside a bus and 101.6 dBA at a stop.
In the 2007 New York transit study, buses were quieter on average than the subway but still above 70 dBA: 75.3 dBA inside buses and 76.0 dBA at stops. Nearly all bus measurements exceeded 70 dBA. Peaks were another matter. One of the two loudest in-vehicle maxima of the whole study was on a bus (96.8 dBA), and a bus stop gave 101.6 dBA, close to the loudest subway platform reading.
An earlier survey with a sound level meter held 3 feet off the ground and 1 foot from the kerb found maximum levels at bus stops of 76 to 89 dBA, with a mean maximum of 84.1 dBA. Readings went up when street traffic was heavy, when emergency sirens were sounding and when refuse lorries were idling nearby, so much of what you hear at a stop comes from the street rather than the bus itself.
How long is safe?
Below 85 dBA, the level NIOSH allows for a full 8-hour day.
| Level | NIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule) | OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule) | UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached after | UK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75.3 dBA | No limit | No limit | Not reached in 24 h | Not reached in 24 h |
| 76 dBA | No limit | No limit | Not reached in 24 h | Not reached in 24 h |
Times are for a whole day’s exposure, with the rest of the day quiet. The workplace limits were written for adults at work, not for children. Work out a mixed day with the noise dose calculator.
Protecting your hearing
Waiting a few steps back from the kerb puts more distance between you and passing lorries and sirens. On the bus itself, seats away from the engine are usually quieter.
Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.
Compared with sounds nearby
Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).
- Cinema (61–84 dBA): this has about 2.1× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- City street traffic (73.4 dBA): this has about 1.7× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Lorry (heavy truck) (76–82 dBA max): it has about 2.2× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.3× as loud.
- Air compressor (78–81 dBA max): it has about 2.4× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.3× as loud.
- Normal conversation (55–70 dBA): this has about 21× its energy and sounds about 2.5× as loud.
Questions
How loud is it inside a bus?
New York dosimetry found an average of 75.3 dBA inside buses, with a maximum of 96.8 dBA.
Why are bus stops so noisy?
Street traffic, sirens and idling refuse lorries all raised levels at stops in a New York survey, where maxima ranged from 76 to 89 dBA.
Sources
- Noise levels associated with New York City's mass transit systems, American Journal of Public Health (Neitzel et al., 2009). Supports: dB_low 75.3 inside bus, dB_high 76.0 at stops (Leq).
Bus 30 75.7 (3.7) 14 75.3 (2.6) 16 76.0 (4.4)
Checked 2026-11-03. - Noise levels associated with New York City's mass transit systems, American Journal of Public Health (Neitzel et al., 2009). Supports: 96.8 dBA Lmax inside a bus.
The 2 highest L max levels among all vehicle measurements were on an MTA subway car (97.8 dBA) and a bus (96.8 dBA).
Checked 2026-11-03. - Noise levels associated with New York City's mass transit systems, American Journal of Public Health (Neitzel et al., 2009). Supports: 101.6 dBA Lmax at a stop.
The highest L max level among all platform measurements was at an MTA subway station (102.1 dBA), followed closely by a bus stop measurement (101.6 dBA).
Checked 2026-11-03. - Pilot survey of subway and bus stop noise levels, Journal of Urban Health (Gershon et al., 2006). Supports: bus stop maxima 76 to 89 dBA.
At the bus stops, the mean maximum SPL was 84.1 dBA, with a range of 76 to 89 dBA.
Checked 2026-11-03.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.