Green Options

Mass transit is often associated with limitations. People have to plan when they leave based on when their bus, streetcar, light-rail, or commuter rail line leaves. They don’t have the ‘pleasure’ of circling around a parking lot trying to find the spot closest to the front door. They can’t easily stop off at McDonald’s for a healthy bite to eat. And so on.

Well, those things may provide a little bit of limitation, but there are other factors that can give you more freedom as well.

For example, the average transit rider in the US now saves $9,242 a year by riding transit (approximately $770 a month). I could think of at least a few things to do with $9,242! Things I couldn’t do without it.

In New York, you can actually save about $1,147 a month or $13,765 a year. The top 20 US cities in average savings are listed below.

But there are more benefits to riding transit, too.

Earlier this week, London launched Britain’s first ever electric car hire scheme.  The initiative, run by Streetcar, the country’s largest pay-as-you-go car-sharing club, will offer members a specially adapted Toyota Prius at rates starting from £5.95 (just under $10) an hour.

If the trial proves a hit with club members, Streetcar plans to roll out extra electric cars throughout the capital to meet rising demand.

Car-sharing has fantastic upsides: it’s flexible, you don’t have to pay additional costs for insurance or road or vehicle tax, you don’t have any maintenance costs and you don’t have to clean the damn car!