Transportation: Why Should You Consider Public Transportation?

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place that has public transportation, consider taking it next time you’re heading out. You’ll likely arrive at your destination faster, keep your household expenses down, and help the environment and the same time.

Consider the impact you could have if you took your car off the road. You’re saving on wear and tear on your car and extending its life. You’re saving money on insurance, gas, maintenance, repairs, and parking. For every dollar consumers earn, an average of 18 cents goes to operating their car. That’s more than what most households spend on food!

Now consider the benefits to your health. Using public transportation helps reduce air pollution. Millions of Americans live and work in areas that do not meet standards set by the government for clean air. A whopping 70,000 people die each year from air pollution. Air pollution is responsible for an escalating asthma rate, especially among the children and elderly.

You can also help reduce your stress by riding on public transportation. You will have a chance to unwind, relax, catch up on phone calls or email, and best of all not have to worry about driving. It’s estimated that an average driver spends up to 450 hours every year driving. That’s almost 11 work weeks! Rapid transit gets you there faster and more predictably and with less effort.  And the National Safety Council rates bus travel as 170 times safer than car travel.

If you live in a city or community where you can take a bus or subway part of the way and walk the rest, you have the ideal situation. Getting physical exercise every day will help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and some types of diabetes. Plus, you just feel better when you have some time to yourself to clear your head.

The New York Subway system alone can move 30,000 people in one hour. Imagine if all those people were in single passenger cars on the road! Mass transit helps take more cars off the road so there are fewer accidents, travel related injuries, and the need for emergency services. It’s just a good idea to get on a bus, train, subway, or tram if you can.

The transit system in your city also helps generate revenue for your community. That money gets put back into beautifying the community and offering more and better services.  Communities that have public transportation also entice the best businesses into the area. Cell towers go up for better service around transit hubs and there is a wider selection of stores to choose from, causing the prices to go down.

So how can you arrange your life so you can use public transportation?

• Get a bus schedule online or at the bus terminal. Know when and where the busses will arrive and depart.
• Plan your commuting time around when the busses run, and don’t cut it short by always trying to make the last bus. Aim for an earlier bus or know that there’s another bus coming soon if you miss one. If you’re always racing to the bus stop, you will be more stressed out.
• Make your trip pleasant. Have the fare ready and then ease into your seat. Do some reading, people watch, or take a rest. You might plan your morning coffee stop so it’s just before you get on the bus so that you can enjoy your hot coffee during the ride.
• You’ll get to know the drivers and the people who take the bus the same time as you. Be open to friendly conversations. Who knows who you might meet?
• If you live near a train station, you are especially lucky. The train requires nothing more of you than to get on the platform at the right time.
• Arrange to be dropped off at the train station so you don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot and paying for it.
• Try not to get on the local train that stops at every station. You’ll arrive earlier and faster if you go for a speed train.
• Wear comfortable shoes and bring your work shoes in a bag. If you have to run to catch the train, your high heels could be the difference between you missing the train and making it.
• Plan extra minutes into your commute. The train may be ten minutes late or the bus might hit all the red lights. Don’t cut it so close that you’re always sitting with white knuckles wondering if you’ll make it to work on time.
• If you ride the subway, buy a pass card. Load it up for enough fares for a month. That way you don’t have to look for change when you’re dashing to catch a train. You will ease through the turnstile like a pro.