Ditching the Car and Taking Public Transit Can Save You More Than $7K in These 10 Cities
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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Americans love their cars — so much so that they’re willing to spend a few extra thousand dollars a year to drive to work rather than take public transit.
More than three-quarters (77%) of U.S. commuters drive to work, according to an Auto Insurance analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data and other sources. In contrast, only 3% take public transportation.
That’s the case even though ditching the car and taking public transit can save a considerable amount of money — in addition to having a positive impact on the environment.
GOBankingRates explores how much money the average American could save if they only used public transportation instead of owning a car.
Driving vs. Public Transit Costs
A new study from Point2Homes found that the average cost of a car commute in the U.S. equals more than $8,000 a year, while taking the bus costs just $972 a year on average. This means Americans are willing to fork out more than $7,000 a year for the convenience of hopping in the car and driving.
For its study, Point2Homes looked at the 30 most populous U.S. cities and then analyzed data from the Census Bureau, AAA, Spothero, the American Public Transportation Association and more.
One of the study’s key findings was that renters would benefit the most from taking public transit to work rather than driving. As Point2Homes noted, the typical monthly income for a renter is around $4,000. This means the average U.S. renter household would “save the equivalent of nearly two months’ salary” by choosing public transit.
The savings would be less dramatic for homeowners because the median monthly income for homeowner households is about $8,000.
The biggest savings from taking public transit tends to come in the biggest cities. Here are 10 cities where taking public transit instead of driving could save you more than $7,000 a year:
| City | Car Commute Annual Costs | Public Transport Annual Fare Cost | Annual Savings with PT Commute |
| San Francisco, California | $11,160 | $972 | $10,188 |
| New York, New York | $11,122 | $1,584 | $9,538 |
| San Diego, California | $9,540 | $864 | $8,676 |
| Los Angeles, California | $9,300 | $864 | $8,436 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | $9,275 | $1,080 | $8,195 |
| Washington, D.C. | $8,942 | $864 | $8,078 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $9,135 | $1,152 | $7,983 |
| Jacksonville, Florida | $8,442 | $780 | $7,662 |
| San Jose, California | $8,568 | $1,080 | $7,488 |
| Chicago, Illinois | $8,262 | $900 | $7,362 |
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