In lieu of jacked-up rates on trains and buses, some commuters are deciding to drive to work rather than take public transportation — not only because of the convenience, but because it’s cheaper.
Check out the story, set in the San Francisco Bay area, probably the most environmentally conscious area of the U.S., in the Mercury News:
The great debate for middle-class commuters — to drive or take transit — is now a no-brainer for many who are finding it cheaper and faster to take their cars.
The recession has changed the way commuters think. Gas prices are down and transit fares are up; freeway traffic is looser, while transit service is less frequent.
For three years, Veronique Selgado took BART from the East Bay to her job working for an airline at San Francisco International Airport. But she recently switched to driving because BART raised fares and upped its SFO round-trip surcharge from $3 to $8, boosting her daily trip cost to nearly $20.
“It’s outrageous,” Selgado said. “At what point do they stop raising the prices, when it’s $50 a day to go round-trip to work?”
Related:
What I Learned By Not Getting into a Car for a Year