The Cost of Driving to Work / Car vs. TTC

[GameBoy27]

I did a quick calculation to see what it costs for my wife to drive to work vs. taking the TTC. For this calculation, I used her 2012 Toyota Corolla. Her car loan was paid off years ago.

Calculation was based on these numbers.

Fuel at $1.40 litre
Fuel cost $0.15 per km
Insurance $95.00 per month.
Maintenance $50.00 per month. Which is a lot more than actual.
Work distance (round-trip) 15 kms.
Round-trip driving cost inc. fuel $2.25 + Ins. $3.15 + Maint. $1.66 = $7.06 per day.
TTC round trip $6.50 per day.

Therefore it costs $0.56 more to drive to work than taking the TTC.

I realize I haven't included the cost of the car in the calculation so it would be a bit more.

There is however a major difference in the time it takes to drive vs. the TTC. Round-trip driving takes an average of 25 minutes. TTC takes an average of 100 minutes. So it takes an hour and 15 minutes more per day to commute by transit.

In her case, it's an absolute no-brainer to drive. This doesn't even begin to touch on the convenience of driving vs. the TTC.

 

[tisitwon]

Where does she park, and at what cost?

I don't disagree with your results. I live and work near subway stations, so driving time vs. TTC is pretty comparable most days. Not having to deal with the characters on the TTC is worth something, but so is not having to spend ~$400/mo to park downtown.

 

[GameBoy27]

Where does she park, and at what cost?

I don't disagree with your results. I live and work near subway stations, so driving time vs. TTC is pretty comparable most days. Not having to deal with the characters on the TTC is worth something, but so is not having to spend ~$400/mo to park downtown.

I left out parking fees because she parks in her work lot and our driveway at home. While everyone's situation is different, there's a lot to be said for not having to deal with the characters one the TTC, especially as a woman. I've heard lots of horror stories.

 

[princekwekua]

I did a quick calculation to see what it costs for my wife to drive to work vs. taking the TTC. For this calculation, I used her 2012 Toyota Corolla. Her car loan was paid off years ago.

Calculation was based on these numbers.

Fuel at $1.40 litre
Fuel cost $0.15 per km
Insurance $95.00 per month.
Maintenance $50.00 per month. Which is a lot more than actual.
Work distance (round-trip) 15 kms.
Round-trip driving cost inc. fuel $2.25 + Ins. $3.15 + Maint. $1.66 = $7.06 per day.
TTC round trip $6.50 per day.

Therefore it costs $0.56 more to drive to work than taking the TTC.

I realize I haven't included the cost of the car in the calculation so it would be a bit more.

There is however a major difference in the time it takes to drive vs. the TTC. Round-trip driving takes an average of 25 minutes. TTC takes an average of 100 minutes. So it takes an hour and 15 minutes more per day to commute by transit.

In her case, it's an absolute no-brainer to drive. This doesn't even begin to touch on the convenience of driving vs. the TTC.

These scenarios are far from representative and frankly meaningless. You have folks stuck on the QEW, 401, 400, Gardner, 404 who will laugh at the 25 minutes round trip commute. They are lucky to do that time one way. Many have car payments and much higher insurance payment not to mention parking

 

[GameBoy27]

These scenarios are far from representative and frankly meaningless. You have folks stuck on the QEW, 401, 400, Gardner, 404 who will laugh at the 25 minutes round trip commute. They are lucky to do that time one way. Many have car payments and much higher insurance payment not to mention parking

I didn't say this was the average. I simply calculated what she pays. Obviously everyone's situation is different. People stuck on the QEW, 401, 400, Gardiner and 404 have the option of taking public transit. But in many cases it takes far longer than driving. It all comes down to what your time is worth.

 

[Butler1000]

I did a quick calculation to see what it costs for my wife to drive to work vs. taking the TTC. For this calculation, I used her 2012 Toyota Corolla. Her car loan was paid off years ago.















Calculation was based on these numbers.















Fuel at $1.40 litre







Fuel cost $0.15 per km







Insurance $95.00 per month.







Maintenance $50.00 per month. Which is a lot more than actual.







Work distance (round-trip) 15 kms.







Round-trip driving cost inc. fuel $2.25 + Ins. $3.15 + Maint. $1.66 = $7.06 per day.







TTC round trip $6.50 per day.















Therefore it costs $0.56 more to drive to work than taking the TTC.















I realize I haven't included the cost of the car in the calculation so it would be a bit more.















There is however a major difference in the time it takes to drive vs. the TTC. Round-trip driving takes an average of 25 minutes. TTC takes an average of 100 minutes. So it takes an hour and 15 minutes more per day to commute by transit.















In her case, it's an absolute no-brainer to drive. This doesn't even begin to touch on the convenience of driving vs. the TTC.

Metropass costs 156. So about the cost of insurance and maintenance. So no inclusion of gas, and depreciation of the vehicle. And thats for unlimited rides.



I think your gas usage is off as well. Maybe from suburb to suburb place but anywhere in the city proper(you saying she has a lot probably denotes that) its going to be alot more due to traffic and idling.



Totally agree on ride comfort and safety. As well as time. I take it everyday.



But your math is not good here. Its fine to say you will pay more to drive. But to equate average cost as so close is disingenuous.

 

[poker]

TTC - crazy stranger stabs you

Car - SO finds your Terb acct and stabs you.

Still pretty close.

 

[GameBoy27]

Metropass costs 156. So about the cost of insurance and maintenance. So no inclusion of gas, and depreciation of the vehicle. And thats for unlimited rides.



I think your gas usage is off as well. Maybe from suburb to suburb place but anywhere in the city proper(you saying she has a lot probably denotes that) its going to be alot more due to traffic and idling.



Totally agree on ride comfort and safety. As well as time. I take it everyday.



But your math is not good here. Its fine to say you will pay more to drive. But to equate average cost as so close is disingenuous.

I based her gas usage on the following. She gets 400 km between fill-ups in the winter. A fill up is 45 litres. 45L @ $1.40 = $63.00 divided by 400 kms is $0.1575 per kilometer. In the summer she gets 500 kms on a tank and almost 600 if she does highway driving. So nothing wrong with my math.

Obviously there's the price of the car and depreciation to consider but her car was paid off 5 years ago. A Metropass is great but transit is so limiting. If you need to move anything, purchase anything heavy, take the kids or the parents anywhere or play play hockey, a car is a must. And if you own a car, you're paying the insurance anyway, so you might as well drive it.

 

[oil&gas]

If you are among the climate sheeple who are duped to believe global
emission has to be halved by 2030 to avert climate catastrophe you must
include the cost of the loss of human lives of the younger generation in
your calculations of the real cost of driving.

 

[IM469]

I put my work and home directions up on Google maps: By Car - 24 minutes By Bus - 2 hours By Bike - 1 hr 15 minutes

If the bus were free - I would not spend 4 hours commuting each day. There is no way ....

.... okay ... maybe with a few changes I could tolerate it.

 

[Leimonis]

Fuel at $1.40 litre
Fuel cost $0.15 per km
Insurance $95.00 per month.
Maintenance $50.00 per month. Which is a lot more than actual.
Work distance (round-trip) 15 kms.
Round-trip driving cost inc. fuel $2.25 + Ins. $3.15 + Maint. $1.66 = $7.06 per day.

plebs not coughing at you - priceless

 

[jcpro]

Well, I think that public transportation sucks. It's inconvenient, dirty, takes forever. But, it's a necessary evil. I couldn't drive for awhile, so I had to Uber everywhere and even that wasn't very convenient. I live very, very close to my place of employment and my employer provides me with transportation and all the costs involved. I think that's the best solution, short of having a driver. Buying or leasing car and the expenses along with it is very wasteful.

 

[oil&gas]

Depending on the routes TTC could suck big time. But
some express trips and quiet routes are enjoyable rides.

I enjoy commuting on York Regional Transit a lot. Express
YRT trips running between Finch/Yonge and the Markham
area and vicinity are excellent.

I also like to commute by GO transit tremendously. Trips
to the airport usually take only a little more than half an hour.
Trips between Toronto and outskirts like Stouffville, Milton
and Oakville take a longer time than driving but I'd recommend
them to drivers if there are GO bus stops nearby.

Get a Presto card and loaded it up even if you drive most
of the time. It is an advantage to know your way when you
happen to have to use public transport for whatever reason.

 

[Soccersweeper]

Monthly car costs in Toronto
Insurance $130
Gas $170
Maintenance $100
Parking $100
Lease/own payment $500

That's $1000 vs $165. That's a lot of money for negligible commuting time difference and equal risk of injury. Would pay for 2 one hour visits with Toronto's friendliest ladies who are near transit stops

 

[NotADcotor]

The Metro is pretty good, but the bus, forget about it unless perhaps parking was an issue.

 

[jeff2]

I would be concerned with depreciation.
With those low mileage trips, not sure you are getting the car up to operating temperature. Temperature guage with needle in the middle is operating temperature.
The contaminants and moisture in the oil and transmission oil might not be burnt off with these short drives. You might want to flush your fluids sooner.
Also, the exhaust could rust out sooner with the moisture build up.
Finally, if these short drives are stop and go, your alternator may not be recharging your battery. And a weak battery is bad for your alternator!

 

[Meesh]

Remember that many (most?) people with a vehicle use it for purposes other than work as well, so you have to pro-rate the insurance/maintenance/home-parking costs to account for those myriad purposes as well.

 

[Charlie_]

But taking public transport is better for the environment!

 

[explorerzip]

It all comes down to what your time is worth.

Time spent driving isn' the same as transit though. You can't do anything else while driving though I know people try to do it all the time with varying degrees of success. You can do plenty of other things while on transit including taking a snooze after a long day.

 

[jeff2]

Time spent driving isn' the same as transit though. You can't do anything else while driving though I know people try to do it all the time with varying degrees of success. You can do plenty of other things while on transit including taking a snooze after a long day.

True, especially if you get a seat.