Is public Transport really cheaper?

[Mike75]

I wanted to know if switching to bus from personal car to go to work is really cheaper or not? I know I will be saving the gas on car, but the time and energy that will go to walk to bus stop and then from bus stop to office seems too much work. I could use this energy to do some better work.


What do you think?

[zeldo]

Well it really depends! Normally it is cheaper as once you take into consideration the fuel cost, insurance cost and depreciation cost of a car, cars come out being more expensive. That being said it also depends on how much you value you put on your time, if it is going to cost you an extra hour every day to travel then that is a high price to pay. The flip side is that on public transportation you may be able to work if you can find somewhere to sit.

Also travelling by public transportation is much safer than driving.

You could try a half way house of seeing if you can cut down on car costs by ride sharing.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Depends. If parking is affordable as well or even offered for some people.

[bjl584]

Public Transportation is a blackhole of government funding in most locations. I guess that it could be argued that anything that you are saving in personal expenses would be negated in the form of higher taxes and fees in other areas of your life. It's probably not a one to one ratio, so you would have to sit down and crunch the numbers based on your own personal unique situation.

[Caoineag]

For us it was. $70 for 2 per month versus the ~$300 per month we spend for our one car (includes maintenance, insurance and gas). Even with renting a car for the weekend every once in awhile at $30 per weekend plus gas (credit card paid for insurance), we still saved money over having a car. That said, owning a car is far more convenient (a double edged sword) and once we owned one, we started to commute to work together.

[MonkeyMama]

I'd presume, in most cases, that public transport would be cheaper than OWNING and maintaining a car. Like, it would make sense if you don't have a car.

Where I live, the public transport is insanely expensive. Since I have/need a car, it makes no financial sense, whatsoever. That's not even getting into the inconvenience factor. Which is HUGE.

Um, last I checked $300 for 2 bus passes (more than we spend on gas and maintenance on our cars) AND a train ride is something in the realm of $150, as well, for the 4 of us. To visit family. Gee, would we rather spend $150 and 5 hours, or $20 and 2 hours, to visit family?

I don't live in a situation where the public transport is convenient. Like, I would have to DRIVE to the nearest bus stop. But, when I did live/work right by the light rail, I found it far cheaper/easier and FAR less time consuming, to just drive.

I've certainly been jealous of the transportation in places like Japan, DC, etc. I think NY circa 2000 won, hands down. The argument here is, "Everything is so spread out." We couldn't possibly implement a GOOD transit system for everyone! I remember traveling all over NJ/NY, quickly, for pennies. Like that's not spread out?

[snshijuptr]

Public trans is so different depending on your city and even the specific location of your job and work.

If you are worried about "wasting time" then I must say that between reading books for school, working on my smartphone, making phone calls, and playing games, I was very productive on my bus trips.

[wincrasher]

Well it really depends. You still own your car, so you have fixed expenses. You still pay your taxes, so you pay the subsidy either way.

When I travel to Altanta, I never rent a car. The MARTA goes from the airport to the office. Not only is it much cheaper, it's alot faster. No more running to catch my flight.

When I travel to NYC, there is really no other way to go. Ever try to park a car in Manhattan?

[SmarterSpend]

Here in LA, with the mind boggling traffic, it's not only cheaper- but faster, especially if you can take the metro.

I know there are some websites that can compare public vs private transportation and tell you how much your saving.

[snshijuptr]

I know there are some websites that can compare public vs private transportation and tell you how much your saving.

For many cities Google maps will plan your trip for you and compare the standard toll price to federal driving reimbursements.

[mom-from-missouri]

Depending on where you are, I would also consider the safety factor--Are you safer on a bus or train? Do you have to park in an underground garage with poor lighting and no security??

[snafu]

Walking to and from the bus is inexpensive, effective exercise. Many people believe they do their best thinking walking [often walking the dog]. Take the challenge and do a cost benefit analysis. Let us know how it comes out!

[Mike75]

But public transport is just too much hassle. You don't get place to sit, have to walk a lot and face traffic the same. I don't think the stress it causes me is worth the money I save.

[snshijuptr]

But public transport is just too much hassle. You don't get place to sit, have to walk a lot and face traffic the same. I don't think the stress it causes me is worth the money I save.

Depending on your commute sometimes you always get to sit. Walking is extremely healthy and as a previous poster siad exercise increases thinking (science fact we know from PE classes in schools). You do not have to face the same traffic because 1) the bus can use the carpool lane or special bus lanes and 2) your not driving so your not facing the traffic. I actually had less stress with public trans because my bus route picked up every 5 minutes to take me to school or work.

One negative is if your personal schedule does not work with pub trans. I had a friend who worked nights and had to take the bus. He was always at work hours early and either had to rush out or stay an extra hour. I don't think his bosses were pleased.

I am a fan of owning a car that I use for "pleasure" driving as my insurance calls it.

[disneysteve]

If you are worried about "wasting time" then I must say that between reading books for school, working on my smartphone, making phone calls, and playing games, I was very productive on my bus trips.

I can only do my job in my office. Time spent commuting is wasted in my case. I can drive to my office in about 15 minutes. Taking public transportation would likely take at least an hour each way and probably more. Call me spoiled but I'm not going to lose 2-3 hours out of my day in order to take a bus to work no matter how much money it saves me. Besides, I often have commitments and responsibilities after work that I couldn't possibly keep if I used public transit.