Public transport

Public transport

There’s no doubt consumers will be faced with higher gas prices going into the future, and alternatives, like diesel powered cars and hybrids, all have their respective shortcomings.

We recently looked at why mainstream automakers refuse to launch more diesel models in the U.S. and, just yesterday, we saw the results of a study that claimed consumers would often be worse off buying a hybrid vehicle if their sole goal was to save cash.

However, there’s one distinct alternative that’s often overlooked. It may not be as glamorous or time-efficient as driving your own car, but public transit has the potential to save you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars over the space of a single year.

A new study conducted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has determined that individuals, on average, would save as much as $825 per month by switching to a public transit system.

Note that the data used was based on a two-car household paying for a monthly unreserved parking space, with fuel prices set at $3.47 per gallon. For the resultant savings of $825 per month, the household would need to give up its second car and that parking space.

The biggest saving from ditching the car and switching to the public transit system would occur for residents of New York City, who could save on average $1,198 per month, followed by the residents of Boston and San Francisco, who would save $1,099 and $1,088 per month, respectively.

Of course, in reality, not everybody in the States has adequate access to a public transit system. Those drivers have no choices at all; for them, the car is here to stay.

[APTA]

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