Wilmington — While flowers and green grass is bursting all around us, your wallet will also be full of green if you take public transportation. Even with gas prices dropping in the month of April, individuals who ride public transportation instead of driving in the Philly and northern Delaware areas can save, on average, more than $967 this month, and $11,600 annually, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) April Transit Savings Report. These savings are based on the cost of commuting by public transportation compared to the cost of owning and driving a vehicle which includes the April 24, 2013 average national gas price ($3.51 per gallon- reported by AAA) and the national unreserved monthly parking rate.
APTA releases this monthly Transit Savings Report to examine how an individual in a two-person household can save money by taking public transportation and living with one less car.
The national average for a monthly unreserved parking space in a downtown business district is $166.26, according to the 2012 Colliers International Parking Rate Study. Over the course of a year, parking costs for a vehicle can amount to an average of $1,995. In determining the cost of parking, APTA uses the data from the 2012 Colliers International Parking Rate Study for monthly unreserved parking rates for the United States.
To calculate your individual savings, with or without car ownership, go to www.publictransportation.org.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 public and private sector organizations, engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, and intercity and high-speed passenger rail. This includes: transit systems; planning, design, construction, and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. APTA is the only association in North America that represents all modes of public transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services and products. More than 90 percent of the people using public transportation in the United States and Canada ride APTA member systems.
