The following post is by MPFJ staff writer Travis. Travis is a customer blogger for Care One Debt Relief Services, and also appears weekly at Enemy of Debt. Travis candidly shares his personal journey to pay off $109,000 of credit card debt and the tips he’s learned along the way. As a father and husband he provides a unique perspective on balancing debt, finances, and family.
I stop at the corner at the end of my block to talk to my neighbor almost every day at the conclusion of my morning run. It’s always at roughly the same time because I have to be home in time to make sure my kids get up for school, and my neighbor is waiting for the city bus to pick him up and take him to work.
For as long as I’ve known him, his family has owned a single car and his wife drove it to her job, requiring him to use alternate methods to get to work. I figured that they just prioritized other things financially over owning a second car. When the weather is nice, sometimes he rides his bike, most of the time he takes the city bus.
Recently they purchased a second car, but I still find him standing on the street corner at 6:00am waiting for the bus. I asked him why he still rides the bus, even though they now had two cars. He gave the following answers:
- Finding parking downtown is difficult and time consuming
- The cost of parking adds up quickly
Our conversation piqued my interested, and prompted me to do some investigation into using alternate means of transportation as well. My son is turning sixteen soon, and there may be times when he may want or need to drive to school. Neither he or I are in the position to buy another car right now, so we may be left with my wife, my son, and I all needing to drive, and only two cars.
Since my office is less than five miles away from my home I wondered how much it would cost for me to use an alternate method of transportation to get to and from work, and if it would work within my schedule to do so.
Bicycle:
Cost:
I used to have a bike, but it was stolen a decade ago. I’d incur a one time cost of a bike and a bike lock. I could spend $80 on a bike, or I could spend $1000 or more. I’d likely try to find something in the $300 price range.
Convenience:
With a bike, I would be free to come and go as I pleased. However, weather conditions could play a major detracting role in this as well. I would also have to get some kind of rack to transport my lunch and laptop. It would take me about 20 minutes to get to work, which isn’t that much longer than driving myself.
Analysis:
Using a bike to get to work would be much cheaper in the long run than buying another car, but there are times when the weather could be a factor in being able to get to and from work.
Public Transportation:
Cost:
I took a look at my city’s public transportation website and found the following pricing:
- $2 per ride
- $26 for a 20 ride ticket
- $48 for a monthly pass
- $480 for a yearly pass ($40 a month)
Convenience:
A bus line runs along the street at the end of my cul-de-sac, and as mentioned the bus actually stops at that intersection. The bus comes every 30 minutes starting at 6am until 8:30am. It goes almost directly to my place of employment, the ride lasting 15 minutes. I can again use it to get home, with the bus picking up at my place of employment every 30 minutes starting at 3:45pm until 6:15pm.
Analysis:
As far as public transportation goes, having a bus stop 100 feet from your front door is about as convenient as it can get. The 15 minute ride is only slightly longer than it would take me to drive there myself.
Riding the bus isn’t as convenient as hopping in my car and leaving at any time I feel like it. But, it does give me some flexibility as to when I want to get to the office and definitely fits my usual workday schedule.
Advantages & Disadvantages:
The pros and cons of using a bicycle and/or public transportation to get to work breaks down like this:
Advantages:
- Cheaper than owning a third car (Cost of vehicle, gas, maintenance, insurance)
- Don’t have to worry about my car starting in winter
- Don’t have to worry about parking
Disadvantages:
- Inconvenience of waiting in or driving my bike in hot, cold, or rainy weather
- Takes longer to get to and from work
- Inconvenience of planning your work day around the bus schedule
- Lack of privacy when riding the bus
The best solution for me is to purchase a bicycle along with a 20 ride bus ticket. This gives me a bike that I can use not only to go to and from work on days I need an alternate method of transportation, but also for recreational purposes. The 20 ride bus ticket allows me to use the bus on those rare occasional that I need to ride the bus. It doesn’t expire, so I can use it as frequently or infrequently as needed. When it’s used up, I can just buy a new one.
We expect my son to get a part time job, save up his money, and eventually buy his own car. Until then we’ll have to make some sacrifices when it would be more convenient to allow him to drive to school due to after school activities, or if he has to work. The bicycle / city bus combination is the perfect low-cost solution to achieve this.
How about you all? Do you use public transportation? Have you ever investigated the cost and convenience of using public transportation in your area?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
**Image courtesy of nitnut at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
