Public transit users save over $8,000 per household annually

[s***@gmail.com]

Public transit users save over $8,000 per household annually

A person can save more than $8,000 per year by taking public
transportation instead of driving based on today’s gas prices,
according to new analysis released today by the American Public
Transportation Association. According to APTA’s “Monthly Transit
Savings Report” a person can save an average of $672 dollars per month
based on today’s gas price of $3.909 as reported by AAA. The savings
are more than the average household pays for food in a year.

APTA will release once a month a “Transit Savings Report” which shows
how much a person can save on a monthly and yearly basis by taking
public transit and living with one less car in his or her household.
Gas prices have increased by 179.9 percent since 2003 according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics. After factoring in today’s average gas
price and the average transit fare, the analysis shows that a person
can save $672 a month and $8,059 per year by riding public transit.
The annual cost savings is almost $2,000 more than the annual cost of
food, according to the Food Institute ($6,111).

APTA calculates the average cost of taking public transit by
determining the average monthly transit pass of local public transit
agencies across the country. This information is based on the annual
APTA fare collection survey and is weighted based on ridership
(unlinked passenger trips). The assumption is that a person making a
switch to public transportation would likely purchase an unlimited
pass on the local transit agency, typically available on a monthly
basis.

APTA then compares the average monthly transit fare to the average
cost of driving. The cost of driving is calculated using the 2008 AAA
average cost of driving formula. AAA cost of driving formula is based
on variable cost and fixed cost. The variable cost includes the cost
of gas, maintenance and tires. The fixed cost includes insurance,
license registration, depreciation and finance charges. The comparison
also uses the average mileage of a mid-size auto at 23.4 miles per
gallon and today’s price for self-serve regular unleaded as recorded
by AAA at $3.909 per gallon. The analysis also assumes that a person
will drive an average of 15,000 miles per year. The savings assumes a
two-person household will live with one less car.

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[Matthew T. Russotto]

Post by s***@gmail.com
Public transit users save over $8,000 per household annually
A person can save more than $8,000 per year by taking public
transportation instead of driving based on today=92s gas prices,
according to new analysis released today by the American Public
Transportation Association.

I wonder how much a person could save eating chuck instead of loin.
Although that's not really a fair comparison; chuck is just as
nutritious as loin, and public transit isn't nearly as useful as driving.

A quicky analysis of those figures shows something fishy going on
(unsurprisingly). Figure 12,000 miles per year, 20 miles per gallon,
4 dollars for gallon -- $2400 per year total in only gas costs.

So what are the other costs? Checking back reveals that they are using
the AAA cost of driving formula, which includes gas, maintenance,
tires, insurance, registration, depreciation, and finance charges.

Wait... those last four I have to pay whether I drive or not! So this
isn't the cost of public transit versus the cost of driving. It's the
cost of public transit versus the cost of owning and operating a car.
So in order to save with public transit, I have to not just take it, I
have to give up my car! No thanks.