We all know the environmental advantages to carpooling and bike riding. Less carbon fumes in the air, makes it a greener mode of transportation. We also know that it can be a bit more economical as well. But I wanted you to know just how much carpooling or bike pooling can save big bucks. You might be surprised at just how much you can save, I know I was, and how many pooling services exist in case you can’t rally your own co-workers to join you.
Find out now: What will my commute be?
Cost Calculator
Ride Finders has a great cost calculator if you really want to see just how much you might save. Just plug in your roundtrip commute distance, your gas mileage and how often a week you commute. The automatic calculator lets you see what your total mileage is and your average cost of commuting per year. For me, working five days a week, a 15 mile round trip commute is costing me $5,223.53 annually. I’ve got to tell you, it was a shock to see that number, and just reaffirmed that I really need to start taking the bus as much as possible.
Bike or Public Transportation
If you live close to work, and want a bit of exercise, biking is definitely the way to go. You might even consider starting a bike pooling crew with your coworkers. If you’re lucky enough to live within a few blocks to a public transportation stop, buying a monthly pass can save you quite a bit of money. As a government employee I am able to buy a monthly bus pass for just $14. Annually, taking the bus would be just $168. That means I would be saving over $5,000 a year.
5 Reasons to Take the City Bus
Carpooling
If you live in the same neighborhood as your coworkers, you might ask if they would be interested in a carpool. There may already be a carpool set up at your work. There are several online services that can locate nearby coworkers or employees of nearby businesses. For a small fee, you can get set up with a service they manage. The advantages of carpooling? It’s cheaper, in large cities there’s often a designated carpool lane that can help get you through traffic so you get to work faster, and you might actually meet people you enjoy spending time with.
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Take the hassle and overly expensive cost of commuting out of your life, and start looking at carpooling, biking and public transportation as a way to save you big bucks.
Photo Credit: flickr
