WASHINGTON -- The impact of an Obama Administration on the motorcoach industry is still anybodys guess, but theres no question about the impact of the inauguration of Sen. Barack Obama as the nations 44th president: its going to be a bonanza.

Obama's election seemingly has touched off a stampede by his supporters to see his inauguration and the inaugural parade on Jan. 20.

Coaches by the hundreds are being chartered by groups across the U.S., as millions of Americans view Obamas inauguration as the defining moment of not only their generation but of generations to come.

Victor Parra, president and chief executive of the United Motorcoach Association, told The Washington Post he expects the Obama swearing in to be the best-attended inauguration in history and possibly the biggest event ever.

"Its like nothing Ive ever seen before," he said.

As tens of thousands of people scramble to make arrangements for their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Washington, officials here are bracing for a massive human onslaught.

D.C. Police plan to have an extra 1,000 out-of-town officers on duty, beyond the 4,000 they usually borrow for big events. Plus, there will be 5,000 military service members on duty, including 1,800 along the parade route.

Officials say the crowd could easily surpass the 1.2 million who attended President Lyndon Johnson's inauguration in 1965, with some predicting as many as 1.5 or 1.6 million. A crowd anywhere close to that magnitude would produce enormous traffic jams and packed-to-the-gills Washington Metrorail cars as some people attempt to avoid the traffic by catching the Metro at suburban stations in Virginia and Maryland.

Members of Congress, who distribute tickets for the inauguration ceremony, have been swamped with requests, meaning most people coming to Washington will have to settle for watching the inauguration on giant TV screens and the parade along a very crowded route.

No website or other ticket outlet has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.

There have been reports that virtually all of the areas 95,000 hotel rooms are sold out.

That is not stopping coach operators from virtually every section of the U.S., including the Far West, from scheduling coaches to bring people to Washington. For example, several black leadership groups in North Carolina are planning to bring 1,800 people on 34 coaches.

The event also is expected to be a windfall for BoltBus, megabus.com, DC2NY, Apex and the half-dozen other curbside operators that offer line-run service to Washington, along with Greyhound, Trailways and other operators that provide conventional intercity service in and out of Washington.

Operators chartering coaches for the inauguration need to make sure they buy a District of Columbia trip permit for each bus they send to Washington if they expect their coaches will actually drive in or through D.C. The fine for not having a permit can be up to $500 and if an operator misuses a permit like switching it to a different coach -- the fine can run to $1,000.

The District of Columbia Department of Transportation motorcoach guide can be found at www.ddot.dc.gov.

There is good nuts-and-bolts inauguration information available on various websites, including www.barackobama.com and www.my.barackobama.com. Check the "events," "community" and "community blog" pages. Weather, walking, dressing, the long hours of standing, food availability, restrooms, and other expectations and issues are addressed on the websites.