posted on Jun, 19 2008 @ 11:57 PM
I live in Chicago, about forty miles from my hometown right now. My auto gets about thirty miles per gallon on the highway, so at this point it costs
about $5 each way to get back by car. Compare this to public transit: $2 for the elevated train to Union Station and $3-4 for the second train to the
suburbs. In addition, I can carry only one or two bags and nothing big. Going by train means I am on a schedule, it is dangerous at night, and it
takes two to three hours compared with an hour of driving.
The cost of public transportation is directly proportional to the number of passengers. It is inversely proportional to the number of passengers in
my car (only slightly dependent on weight). It is about the same price if I travel alone. I will keep buying gas as long as this makes sense.
Unfortunately, most of the country is only set up for automobiles. If we are not buying gasoline, we will be buying another fuel for our personal
transportation.