Drive Less And the Savings Add Up

The American Public Transportation Association releases monthly updates on how much money Americans save by taking transit. They recently reported that riding transit saves the average American $9,238 a year compared to driving. In San Francisco taking transit saves even more money -- $14,280 annually. How so? They calculated the average cost of owning and driving a vehicle, average national gas prices and parking rates compared to public transportation.

In San Francisco, it’s not news that parking your car all day can cost a bundle. Although a Residential Parking Permit comes in at a relatively reasonable $110 a year, for commuters, a private garage spot can be as much as $700 a month. When you add in gas, bridge tolls and the hectic driving commute, it’s easy to see why more and more are looking to add transit as a commute option. The adult cash fare for Muni is $2.25 and the most expensive adult monthly pass is $80 (and it also allows you to take BART in the city).

In the Bay Area, more than 16 percent take public transportation for their daily commute. That converts to more than 1.34 million trips on public transit on any given week day.

In 2009 The San Francisco Commuter Benefits Ordinance was adopted, which encourages transit and other sustainable commutes instead of individual car trips. Our partners at SFEnvironment have all the details to help businesses set up commuter benefits and to help employees take advantage of them.

On Tuesdays we bring you a tidbit of transit news or trivia, either from our own backyard or from around the globe. Thanks for joining us.