The Issues:
- Driving your own vehicle is an expensive proposition. Expenses such as gas and oil, repairs, maintenance, wear and tear, parking and tolls can quickly (and sometimes imperceptibly) add up to big bucks.
- Other costs of driving alone:
- Time
- Stress
- Morale
- Productivity
You know the cost of driving is much more than just the cost of gas, but how much more may surprise you. Below are the national average driving costs for AAA's 4th quarter, 1999 surveys, updated by Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP).
| Average Driving Costs | |
| Gas and oil | 9.5 cents per mile |
| Maintenance, repairs, tires | 5.6 cents per mile |
| Wear and tear (how much value lost at resale) | 16.2 cents per mile |
| Total | 31.3 cents per mile |
Obviously, driving to work is a real expense for your employees, and providing them with commuter benefits such as carpooling, vanpooling, tax-free transit benefits, and bicycling and walking programs, can put money back into their pockets. How much? Here are some examples of how much money can be saved by an employee using a commuting alternative other than driving alone:| Examples of Commuting Costs and Savings | ||
| Commute Distance | Drive Alone Average | Potential Savings From Using a Commuting Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| 10 miles | $110/month | $63-$110/month |
| 30 miles | $229/month | $145-$153/month |
| 50 miles | $349/month | $209-$249/month |
| 80 miles | $528/month | $372-$417/month |
| 100 miles | $648/month | $432-$524/month |
A detailed comparison of the cost of driving alone and the cost of using other commuting options is available in PDF format. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print PDF files (About Portable Document Format (PDF) and Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
Download "The REAL Cost of Commuting"
To get an even closer estimate of costs and potential savings for a specific commute, try CommuterPage.com's Cost of Commuting Calculator.
Listed below are just a few of the commuter benefits you can offer to help reduce your employees' costs of commuting:
- Provide tax-free transit benefits to help your employees cover the costs of commuting on Metrorail, VRE, MARC, local and commuter buses, and vanpools. Tax-free transit benefits can save an employee 15% to 42% of their monthly commuting costs, depending upon their individual tax brackets.
- Design a formal or informal telework program. Employees can avoid costly commutes by working from the comfort of their home or from a nearby telework center.
- Provide information and ridematching services for carpools and vanpools. Commuting costs can be significantly reduced by sharing the drive.