A personal lifestyle choice that often surprises people is that I don’t own or operate a personal motor vehicle– I don’t even have my license. To the previous generation, this concept is pure anathema, but to me and many of my peers, this is becoming the new normal.
Here’s why.
1. It’s not Economical
Transportation is most people’s second largest monthly expense (after housing). Although it’s hard to get an exact number for the monthly cost of owning a car, many estimates put it at somewhere between $300 and $800.
The cost isn’t just insurance and gas, but also parking, maintenance, depreciation, administrative fees, etc. But don’t just take my word for it, here’s the CAA: Canadians unclear about the true cost of owning a vehicle
Globalnews.ca also has a more detailed breakdown of the many, many costs: Own a car? You won’t believe how much that’s costing you every year
In the U.S., estimates are still high. From the AAA’s Cost to Own a Vehicle, they estimate the average is just over USD$700 per month.
2. It hurts the Environment
On June 17th, 2019, Canada passed a resolution declaring a climate emergency (right before approving a pipeline project…). However, fossil fuel companies have known about the dangers posed by CO2 since the 70s (alt source: wikipedia). Anything we, as individuals, can do to pressure corporations and lawmakers into reducing emissions and focusing on more sustainable alternatives is worth pursuing.
It is pretty clear that humanity is facing an environmental crisis the likes of which our species has never seen before. There are many environmental benefits to taking public transit and not using a personal motor vehicle. According to the Federal Transit Administration, there are many key benefits to public transit:
- Improve air quality
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Allow for compact urban development
- Save energy
- And many more! Read the full article for more details.
Public Transit also indirectly contributes to the reduction of GHG emissions:
Source: Public Transportation’s Role In Responding To Climate Change (mirror)
The Transportation Research Board also has papers on the matter. TCRP Report 93 – Travel Matters: Mitigating Climate Change with Sustainable Surface Transportation (mirror) has a lot to say on the myriad benefits of public transportation on fighting climate change.
Another facet of this issue is paved surfaces. The costs of many, large paved areas to support a staggering number of private motor vehicles is not often considered. This paper (mirror) explains many of the hidden costs.
3. Transit is Safer
Busses crash at a significantly lower rate than cars. Sadly, the few bus accidents that do occur usually get a disproportionate amount of coverage. Let’s be clear, though: busses are much safer than cars.
This great paper by the Victoria Transit Policy Institute goes into great detail showing how public transit options stack up against traditional automobiles. If you have any doubt about the safety of public transit I would highly recommend checking it out:
Source: VTPI – Safer Than you Think (mirror)
Source: VTPI – Safer Than you Think (mirror)
Transit authorities also make an effort to ensure that riders are safe while using the service: CUTA-ACTA Transit Safety and Security (mirror)
4. Health
It’s no secret that driving can be stressful, but the data shows that public transit is less so. Research shows that driving is the most stressful form of commuting. Here’s an article that describes that study’s findings in a more readable format.
From the Huffington Post: The Surprising Link Between Road Rage And How Long You’ll Live
More importantly, research shows that public transit contributes to increased physical activity and improved health in the overall population:
Inadequate physical activity contributes to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis and some cancers. Many experts consider increased walking and cycling for daily transport one of the most practical ways to increase public fitness and health (AJHP 2003). Most transit trips include walking or cycling links, so transit travel tends to increase physical activity (Devries, et al. 2018; Edwards 2008; Frank, et al. 2010; Litman 2010b).
Evaluating Public Transit Benefits and Costs (mirror)
Public transit users average about three times as much walking as people who rely on automobile transport, nearly achieving the 22 daily minutes of moderate physical activity considered necessary for health (Besser and Dannenberg 2005; Weinstein and Schimek 2005; Wener and Evans 2007). Lachapelle, et al. (2011) found that transit commuters average 5 to 10 more daily minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, and walked more to local services than people who do not use transit, regardless of neighborhood walkability.
5. It’s a Lifestyle Choice
I love to read, and I love to read on the bus. The only part of taking transit that I don’t enjoy is waiting for the bus, or transferring between routes. GPS tracking apps help with the first part immensely. I probably wait for 1 to 4 minutes on an average trip. Once I’m seated on the bus with my book out, time slips by. I don’t mind if there’s congestion, or delays, etc. that’s just more time to read!
Secondly, I (like many of my friends) like to go out and enjoy a drink or two, once in a while, especially in patio season! When taking public transit, I never have to worry about whether or not I’ve had too much to drink to drive. I never have to worry about putting myself and others in danger.
Every day, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.1 This is one death every 50 minutes.1 The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion.2
CDC: Impaired Driving: Get the Facts
Conclusions
To be clear, I’m not claiming that transit is perfect, or that everyone should trade in their car for a bus pass; many areas are painfully under-served which makes transit an unreliable option. Many career paths also simply require personal vehicles.
However, I would argue that if you don’t have a compelling reason to drive, then you shouldn’t. Public transportation should be the default; investments made by city councillors and other decision makers should reflect that.
Right on dude. This was a good read that made me seriously contemplate giving up the car.