Transit savings in Baltimore put at $9,549 a year
The American Publiic Transit Association estimates that a typical commuter to downtown Baltimore could save $9,549 a year by taking bus or rail to work and jettisoning a car.
Now APTA is a trade group and lobbying arm of the nation's transit agencies, so the fact the organization has come up with a large number for Baltimore and other cities is hardly a surprise. (New York tops that list at $13,962 a year.) But for certain commuters who would like to cut household expenses, the Baltimore number might be worth considering. That's $796 a month, if APTA's calaculations are valid.
Here's APTA's explanation of its methodology:
APTA calculates the average cost of taking public transit by determining the average monthly transit pass of local public transit agencies across the country. This information is based on the annual APTA fare collection survey and is weighted based on ridership (unlinked passenger trips). The assumption is that a person making a switch to public transportation would likely purchase an unlimited pass on the local transit agency, typically available on a monthly basis.
APTA then compares the average monthly transit fare to the average cost of driving. The cost of driving is calculated using the 2010 AAA average cost of driving formula. AAA cost of driving formula is based on variable costs and fixed costs. The variable costs include the cost of gas, maintenance and tires. The fixed costs include insurance, license registration, depreciation and finance charges. The comparison also uses the average mileage of a mid-size auto at 23.4 miles per gallon and the price for self-serve regular unleaded gasoline as recorded by AAA on November 8, 2010 at $2.85 per gallon. The analysis also assumes that a person will drive an average of 15,000 miles per year. The savings assume a person in two-person household lives with one less car.
In determining the cost of parking, APTA uses the data from the 2010 Colliers International Parking Rate Study for monthly unreserved parking rates for the United States.
The flawed assumption in this calculation, as I see it, is that a two-car family would be likely to give up one of its cars. There are probably families that do so, especially in urban neighborhoods, but as people get out to the suburbs, the demands for weekend mobility increase. It's a challenge to be a one-car couple in America today.
However, it is no doubt true that many families could save a bundle on parking, gas, maintenance and depreciation by leaving a car home five days a week. Why don't more people take advantage of the transit option? Well, there's inconvenient stops, long waiting times, inconsistencies in staying on schedule, cultural aversion to shared transit, poor customer service and fear of crime among other reasons.
So even with these attractive savings being dangled, transit is still a tough sell. But the numbers point to the potential for working families if agencies like the MTA were to get it right.
Comments
the key to your post is the last line: "if MTA were to get it right." Disjointed bus\rail connections and a needlessly confusing Charmcard that only works half the time. Hence the popularity of the city's Tourist Circulator.
Having no car in the downtown area is not easy. I recently moved here from the far-north suburbs so I KNOW that not having a car is impossible.
Posted by: Jacob | November 9, 2010 12:24 PM
A better approach would have looked at the variable or marginal cost of driving. It's more realistic and practical. With Baltimore's (or most regions) lack of comprehensive regional/rapid transit infrastructure, it's difficult to justify completely eliminating a vehicle from a household without a corresponding loss of economic productivity. Certain locations within our area, this wouldn't be so much of an issue, but most anywhere outside some core neighborhood of the City, it would.
Those traveling in from the NW suburbs derive the best deal from the flat-fare MTA structure. Only $64 to ride the Metro and no downtown parking. The driving distance is some 17 miles if one uses the JFX. Even if the marginal cost of driving is closer to $.35/mile, my calculations show about a $4500 a year savings from transit! (I can hear the anti-transit legions crying foul over these folks not paying their fair share.)
Posted by: Anonymous | November 9, 2010 1:44 PM
As a working mom who slogs southward on 83 every day from the northern suburbs in Baltimore County, I would love to have a viable mass transit option for my commute from Hunt Valley to Fells Point. I see the light rail to the right of me every morning and shake my head at what a waste it is. It takes me about an hour on average to get to work each day by car, but it would take even longer by mass transit and all its connections. And on the return trip, I'd have to leave work at around 3 p.m. using mass transit to get to daycare in time to pick up my children. So frustrating.
Posted by: Working Mother | November 9, 2010 4:15 PM
There are a few other flawed assumptions in the estimate. First, from the way it's worded here, the study assumes that all commuters live within walking distance of a mass transit option. This is not true - otherwise, what need would there be for park-and-ride lots? Second, the study does not account for the cost of parking at a park-and-ride or metro lot. This is more of an issue for people who work in DC - most MARC and DC Metro parking lots charge for the privilege, and it's not a cost covered in a monthly transit pass. Finally, the study only considers the average cost of a monthly local transit pass. However, a monthly commuter rail pass or a monthly commuter bus pass can be far more expensive.
Monthly MTA local transit pass: $64-80
Monthly MARC pass: $100-330
Monthly MTA commuter bus pass: $93.50-221
The methodology is far from perfect, and the average savings shouldn't be used to inform one's decision-making. Taking the additional travel time out of the equation (most would say it's a no-go for this reason alone), one needs to account for driving time to their closest stop, parking costs at that stop, and actual fares based on the type of transit being used. I'm all for higher ridership - it'll lead to increased revenue, and hopefully, improved services (bring back my 64 express!). Realistically, Baltimore's far less transit-connected than DC or NY.
Posted by: Chris | November 9, 2010 4:44 PM
Working Mother,
Even walking from the Shot Tower Metro, it shouldn't take you more than 1.5 hours to get to Fells Point from Hunt Valley.
If you tried the Circulator from the Convention Center, you'd probably drop those last 20-30 minutes in half.
Posted by: huh? | November 9, 2010 5:15 PM
Car-less in Baltimore is actually quite do-able. I sold my car several months after moving here and haven't looked back. A few necessary keys: living in the right neighborhood, being fit, previous experience living car-less.
The only truly transit connected area in Baltimore in my opinion is the Mt Vernon/Penn Station area. I have many transit options- 3,61,64,36,21 MTA buses, Circulator, MARC, Amtrak, Light Rail, Subway, Johns Hopkins shuttle, and 8 Zipcars, and the cities largest taxi rank, all within a 1/2 mile radius of my front door.
In spite of all the transit options, I probably ride iside a cage no more than 3-4 times per month (rainy days). Otherwise I bike and walk everywhere. Fitness is key here, along with super-sharp senses- the cagers in Bmore are absolutely incompetent. If they weren't so bad, I think more people would bike, but the risk is definitely there.
Posted by: Biker dude | November 9, 2010 8:27 PM
Well, for me to commute from downtown to my home in Parkton (and vice-versa) would take me over 80 minutes one way using light rail, and the drive to light rail (I've timed it, given the outrageous parking rates the university charges). It generally takes me 40 minutes. How do they value the wasted time in my case?
Posted by: Gunpowder Chronicle | November 9, 2010 9:47 PM