You're forgetting paying for parking in DC, though. Which is curbside robbery.
Here's how my costs break down on Metro, assuming I am not carpooling: $2.65-2.70 each direction, depending on where I get off (since I'm trying to walk more anyway) $3.50/day parking Get to the station by 7:15am, get to work around 7:50, give or take a few minutes. Leave work between 5 and 5:15pm, get home around 6pm Total cost: Under $50/week, and we'll call it approx. 45 minutes of low-stress commute each way. Even if I do a couple hours of errands one day during the weekend, a tank of gas can last me up to two weeks.
Here's what it would cost me to drive every day: $13/day for the nearest parking garage, or trying to find enough change to park at a meter and not get ticketed. No idea how long the drive would be, because that would depend on traffic, but I hate city driving, so either way it'd be much more stressful. And I'd definitely be going through gas faster, between the longer drive and the possibility of getting caught in traffic and burning gas going nowhere. Let's say a tank of gas lasts me a week; current price for gas nearest me is 2.89 as of this morning. So, $29/week if I push that tank as far as I dare Total costs: $94/week, and a lot more stress.
I'll never claim Metro is perfect -- I wish they ran trains more frequently on weekends, for example. But since most of my travel time is commuting anyway, it's a lot better both in terms of financial and emotional/stress costs than driving. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.
no subject
Here's how my costs break down on Metro, assuming I am not carpooling:
$2.65-2.70 each direction, depending on where I get off (since I'm trying to walk more anyway)
$3.50/day parking
Get to the station by 7:15am, get to work around 7:50, give or take a few minutes.
Leave work between 5 and 5:15pm, get home around 6pm
Total cost: Under $50/week, and we'll call it approx. 45 minutes of low-stress commute each way. Even if I do a couple hours of errands one day during the weekend, a tank of gas can last me up to two weeks.
Here's what it would cost me to drive every day:
$13/day for the nearest parking garage, or trying to find enough change to park at a meter and not get ticketed.
No idea how long the drive would be, because that would depend on traffic, but I hate city driving, so either way it'd be much more stressful.
And I'd definitely be going through gas faster, between the longer drive and the possibility of getting caught in traffic and burning gas going nowhere.
Let's say a tank of gas lasts me a week; current price for gas nearest me is 2.89 as of this morning. So, $29/week if I push that tank as far as I dare
Total costs: $94/week, and a lot more stress.
I'll never claim Metro is perfect -- I wish they ran trains more frequently on weekends, for example. But since most of my travel time is commuting anyway, it's a lot better both in terms of financial and emotional/stress costs than driving. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.