New Yorkers who eschew daily driving in exchange for a subway ride can save almost $15,000 a year, the American Public Transportation Association announced today. In its monthly “Transit Savings Report,” the group says that spiking gas prices and high parking rates lead to a monetary drain on the average commuter’s wallet. “Americans need relief from current high gas prices and increasing transportation costs,” William Millar, APTA’s president, said, “And riding public transit is a sure way to lower costs without sacrificing mobility or access.”
The current results are available right here, and New York, with its high gas prices and extensive public transit network, leads the pack. To reach the savings, APTA compares the cost of a monthly transit pass — now $104 in New York — with the 2011 AAA average cost of driving formula. This formula includes variable costs such as gas, maintenance and tires as well as fixed costs such as insurance, license registration, depreciation and finance charges. The formula also assumes that the average person would drive 15,000 miles a year or 41 miles per day.
I have to believe these numbers are slightly inflated for New Yorkers. It doesn’t seem to consider the fact that many daily subway riders are still car-owners, and it seems to overestimate mileage totals. A trip from Bergen Beach to Midtown, for instance, is only 13 miles one way, and someone driving from Riverdale to Lower Manhattan would put less than 30 miles on their car. Still, the cost savings from public transit are tremendous compared to the costs of owning a car. For those New Yorkers who don’t own a car, this report can help take some of the sting out of the city’s high rent rates and general cost of living.
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If most New Yorkers drove, far more space would have to be devoted to roads and parking (and green space buffers between these and development), so buildings would have to be further apart and (assuming the region’s population remained constant) most people would have to drive further.
30 miles one way is 60 return though, so I can see where the numbers come from…
To be clear, Riverdale to Lower Manhattan is 30 miles roundtrip.
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I also thing the numbers are off. They are only counting the cost of a monthly metrocard. What about those who take commuter railroads? The LIRR, MetroNorth, and NJ Transit, if you take then any distance, would cost hundreds of dollars ON TOP of the 104 monthly metrocard. Public transportation this way isn’t that much cheaper than driving……………….
An awful lot of suburban commuters work within walking distance of GCT or Penn and do not need a MetroCard to get to work. You also have to consider that driving further costs more.
The real deal breaker, though, is the cost of parking in a garage in Manhattan. Train pass is cheaper. Parking at outlying stations varies considerably in cost but is still nowhere near.
Besides, it isn’t just a matter of cost. This little thing called traffic congestion means driving actually takes longer.
And traffic congestion also taxes the wallet. The slower the crawl, the longer the dwell, the more money being flushed down the toilet.
Public transportation this way isn’t that much cheaper than driving……………….
Actually, it is. Because now you’re talking about round trips that are closer to 100 miles. Lindenhurst to Midtown is 90 miles round trip, and the monthly is $299. The costs scale.
The bigger problem is lack of TOD because those folks who live in Lindenhurst still have to own a car. Plus, you’re discounting time and money lost to congestion.
Yes, when driving you can lose time and money to congestion, no doubt.
Have any of you taking a commuter railroad recently? If you are not traveling peak direction at peak time, then there may be an hour or more wait between trains. Unlike the subway, missing a commuter train (for whatever reason) can make you unacceptably late for work.
I have been there myself, from when I used to use commuter trains to go to work. If there was any real chance you might have to work or be out late, again, forget the commuter railroads.
There’s a reason the expressways are so full of cars. Even factoring congestion in, trips by automobile are faster than by public transportation, which may require multiple transfers between train, bus, and commuter railroad.
The only way public transportation really saves you major money is if you live near Manhattan, you take the train to work in Manhattan, and you aren’t someone who goes all over the outer boroughs and the suburbs (for that its unavoidable, you do need a car).
I’ve taken commuter trains. Some come every hour off-peak. Some come much more frequently – just not in the US, where due to a mixture of some awful regulations and transit agency inertia it’s impossible to decently serve off- and reverse-peak trips.
Yes, Alon, commuter trains in metro NYC run very infrequently during off peak hours. That’s a big inconvenience right there. There are reasons why so many people still drive in the metro area.
I know. But it’s not a God-given fact of commuter rail. It’s a consequence from an awful operating model, some mandated by the FRA and some by old-time railroad culture. Since improving off- and reverse-peak commuter service is a low hanging fruit in terms of finances (though not management or organization), it’s important for transit advocates to fight for overhauling those regulations and modernizing operations.
“Public transportation this way isn’t that much cheaper than driving……………….”
Wanna bet? Let’s see. If you live in NJ, you pay $8 in tolls. You also pay for gas. And then there are the HIDDEN expenses, like the cost of maintaining your car, insurance, and of course the cost of the vehicle itself (ie: purchase price, monthly payments, etc.). My car cost $30,000 in 2001. So if you do the math, my car has cost me $3,000 every year I have owned it, and that does not count gas, insurance, or anything else.
This is a silly math calculation. The MTA isn’t “saving” me 14k a year, come on! NYC would (of course) not be NYC without the subway, that’s the only real takeaway.
Maybe not you, but someone who doesn’t need a car because of the MTA’s services is a different story.
This is nuts, but it happened at the Hunts Point 6 station, so I guess it’s relevant..
http://nyc.barstoolsports.com/.....sh-people/
I would guess stop and go traffic in New York isn’t easy on cars, so costs to own a car may be higher for that reason too.
Also, imagine how many people must save time because of transit. Also a big cost factor.
Good news. Unfortunately, my ‘savings’ from public transportation costs are directed to my rent and student loan payments!
the assumptions made for this study are silly. these numbers are inflated in large part by assumptions that may not be relevant for a large number of people. this is really a worst-case scenario.
as always, zealots on any side of a discussion will grope for anything that supports their opinion without examining the accuracy, relevance, or validity of the supporting ‘evidence’. in my opinion, using sketchy supporting data only harms an argument.
the American Public Transportation Association can and will only find evidence that cars are bad and public transit is the magic bullet for everybody. this yearly-published silliness is an example of that.
The assumptions appear to be averages, which may be skewed by Manhattan. $400/mo in car payments + $400/mo in storage costs is already $9600, and it’s not hard to see where at least that much more will be spent in gas, violations,* taxes, maintenance, etc.. That’s $14400 right there, and I’m lowballing the numbers if we’re talking about Manhattan.
* Anyone who really has driven extensively in NYC knows these are often more a matter of when and how often than if.
Mass Transit is always the better deal. Always. No matter how you slice it.
So those picking it apart in a dialog are just wasting time. Ride the train, ride
the bus, ride the subway, hell – ride your bike and you save that much more!
[…] assumes that the average person would drive 15,000 miles a year or 41 miles per day, a fact that Benjamin Kabak at Second Avenue Sagas takes issue with in regards to New Yorkers’ driving habits: I have to believe these numbers […]
There are other factors here too. Stress. Driving is stressful. Road rage, frustration from traffic/congestion. It wears on you much more than just sitting in a seat and having the train take you there. When I gave up my car and took mass transit, there was this tremendous stress gone by my back. Driving is a burden in a congested metropolitan area, not an enjoyment.
I’ve found getting around by car is the fastest way to go in the metro area. I often have family outings to restaurants and other things in the metro area. My relatives live in Jersey and in the parts of Queens where there are no trains. So for people to do stuff like that a NJ transit bus, to a subway, to a LIRR, to a bus in order for us to go the places we go is just too much.
I’ve gotten calls for jobs in the suburbs, but when I found out that not only would I have subway and commuter train costs, I’d probably have to take a cab from the rail station, I was like forget it. if they job paid really well, I’d just be better off getting a car. Particularly when dealing with off peak service, which is sparse on all metro NY commuter rails (I know this from when I did work in the suburbs for a few months).
Actual average car spending in the US is about 18% of American household income (which is not the same as GDP – it’s about two thirds of GDP). This includes households without cars, so make it about 20% for a car-owning household.
Additional tax subsidies to driving would add a very small number of additional percent; I don’t know exact numbers because nobody knows how much subsidy there is for local roads. Under the fiction that all local roads are free and there is no depreciation, make it about 0.7% of the budget of every household (obviously, not just car-owning ones). Pollution, climate change, etc. should add about 5%.
That can even be a little misleading. Maybe transportation costs can go up as income goes down.
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I’m going to disagree with some posters about transit being the better way to go. I work in the South Bronx, about a 15 minute walk (or 14 minute bus ride) away from the nearest subway station. And on top of that, I have to take the 6 from 110th to the 4/5 at 125th to the Bx6 or Bx41 (depending on if I take the 4/5) plus walking to/from the stations and bus stops.
Sure, there’s the Melrose train station (MetroNorth) right next to where I work. It’s almost in a direct line from 125th to work. But, it’s $178 monthly ($2,136 annually) for a three-to-six minute ride from Harlem 125th. And I’d still need the subway or bus to get to 125th.
I have an old beater that still gets great gas mileage that I own outright. My commute? Under 4 miles and under 25 minutes (as short as 12 to 15 if the Willis Ave bridge is flowing better than usual). My costs? About $100 in gas and $70 in insurance a month. I spend probably another $250 to $500 in maintenance annually. ~$2,500 annually.
By train/bus? 45 minutes. ~$1,250. Cheaper, sure, but a hell of a lot more frustrating. I’ll pay the extra for the 40+ minute reduction in my commute and being able to buy lots of groceries at the grocery store.
People need to remember that even if NYC has great transit, it doesn’t reach all in a timely or cost-benefit (MetroNorth) manner. Until MetroNorth costs to subway-less areas come down the car it will be.
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