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Cheap Ways to Commute This Fall
Budget-Sensitive Employees take a second look at commute alternatives

Stamford, CT – Sept. 8, 2009 – Face it.  Given the difficult economic climate … even if you are lucky enough to have a job, everyone is looking for ways to cut corners.  And along with your food budget, trimming commute costs is one of the easiest ways to conserve.

“The climate is ripe,� says John Lyons, president and CEO of MetroPool, Inc. – a company that provides transportation options to commuters and employers in New York and Connecticut.
“Economic uncertainty combined with a move to live greener lives for the sake of the planet is prompting people to simplify and economize on cost of living choices, including transportation costs.�

Think of it. A typical household spends 18 percent of its income in driving costs, more than it spends on food, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And in a country where the automobile is associated with independence, the 2000 U.S. Census indicated that Americans now make 78 percent of all trips to work as drive-alone commuters.

The price? Cars and light truck consume over 8.5 million barrels of crude oil daily – that’s 42.5 percent of U.S. total consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Even more alarming, that’s more than the next biggest users--China, Japan, India, and Russia--combined.

There’s a message in this for employers too.  Research by BusinessWeek Research Services found that when employers offered commuter benefit programs, 18 percent of their employees opted for alternative forms of transportation – including transit, carpooling, teleworking, and biking or walking. In addition to saving commuters time, commuter benefit programs also reduced congestion, conserved fuel, and saved money for commuters.

Following are tips on ways you can lower the cost of your monthly work commute – AND, make it more environmentally friendly.

1. Take public transportation.  Avoid a taxing commute by taking the train, bus or ferry.  It also offers a great way to lower your stress while enjoying a book, music or even getting in a nap. Driving for long distances puts wear and tear on your car, costs money in gas and maintenance, clogs the roads and elevates emissions. At the least, promise yourself you’ll try it for just one day a week or a month … and who knows, you may like it.
2. Carpool. That’s right. Carpooling is back in fashion, as co-workers look for neighbors to share the cost and stress of commuting. Not only can it be more fun to travel with friends and co-workers, but it makes the time go faster and saves you money and wear and tear on your car.
3. Take the van if you can. Especially in areas with long commutes or costly highway expenses, vanpooling offers a hugely economical way to share gas, maintenance, tolls, and insurance, as well as driving. Some companies offer special parking spaces. And having a group to travel with means you arrive and leave at the same time – making you manage your time at work more efficiently. As examples, the Rideshare Company in Connecticut has over 600 vans on the road; while VPSI, Inc.-- the largest private provider of commuter vanpool transportation services in the world based in Michigan—maintains a national fleet of more than 5,000 vans that generate 25 million passenger trips each year. And some of the nearly 1,000 employees at New York Life in Sleepy Hollow, NY are reaping the benefits of 19 vans used daily to commute from three neighboring states.
4. Use your feet. Walking or biking to your destination actually works! Depending on time and distance, putting yourself in motion is the lowest-carbon option for traveling and commuting. And while you’re at it, try using the stairs instead of the elevator—one of the most efficient modes of transportation. You may find your hefty gym fees are an unnecessary expense. Plus, you’re not going to be alone. Commuting by cycling is on the rise. The number of bike commuters rose from around 483,145 in 2003 to about 664,859 in 2007, a 37.6% increase, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Even more attractive, the federal Commuter Tax Benefit offers a $20 monthly pre-tax employer deduction for cyclists.
5. Work from home. The greenest commute is one you don’t make at all. Telecommute, bring paperwork home, hold teleconferences, or take online classes. It will save you time you would have spent traveling, and also tons of gas. As a bonus, you get to work in your sweats – try that on Wall Street! More than 45 million people telecommute at least once a week, according to the Telework Coalition (TelCoa), the Washington, DC, telecommuting advocacy group. Based on an average roundtrip commute of 30 miles, TelCoa calculates that working from home and dialing it in just one day per week saves you -- and the environment -- 1.5 gallons of gas and 25.7 pounds of pollutants.
6. Switch to a four-day work week. Here’s your chance for a three-day weekend every week. See if you can arrange working four ten-hour days. Or if you’re a student, try a four-day class schedule. Just one day out of your schedule make a big dent in reducing the time and energy that go into your weekly commute. An article in Scientific American on the 4-day work week shows growing evidence that working 40 hours in four days makes good sense for employee health and well-being. Citing the State of Utah’s mandatory 4-day work week, a Feb. interim reportprojected a drop of at least 6,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually from Friday building shutdowns. If reductions in greenhouse gases from commuting are included, the state would check the generation of at least 12,000 metric tons of CO2—the equivalent of taking about 2,300 cars off the road for one year
7. Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle. If driving is your only option, you can still green up your drive. In some urban areas and college campuses, you can even rent a car for a day. Otherwise, consider an energy-efficient vehicle like a hybrid. It still helps to lower your carbon footprint, and improve the environment, as well.
8. Green up your drive. Maintain your vehicle!  To begin with, keep your tires inflated. Air is one of the last things you can get for free these days. Properly inflated tires will improve your car’s fuel efficiency and mileage by about 3.3%. Properly inflated tires are also safer and last 25% longer. Also, change your oil regularly, try using cruise control, and use air conditioning only when driving faster than 45 mph. Otherwise, open the windows. AC uses up gas quickly, so use it wisely. And park in the shade.
9. Drive gently and slow down. Excessive breaking and acceleration can reduce your fuel efficiency by as much as 33% on the highway, and 5% when driving around town. So drive within the speed limit. It’s safe, it saves, and you get to enjoy your surroundings.
10. Drivers: Stop idling your engines. If you’re stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or picking up the kids at school and have been idling for over 30 seconds, turn off the engine. You get 0 miles to the gallon while idling.  So if you’re stuck in traffic, you might as well just park it! Also, avoid drive-thrus. Idling in line uses up gas unnecessarily.  

One final thought … commuters waste 2.3 billion gallons of fuel simply from idling in traffic jams, according to the Texas Transportation Institute 2005 Urban Mobility Study. Think of what shutting off the engine could do for our fuel consumption, as well as for our environment and our health.

Bottomline, don’t be afraid to use some creativity. Ask your boss if employees can form a “Green Team� to plan ways of incorporating some of these environmentally conscious plans into your work place, such as trying green commutes, implementing four-day work weeks, or even recycling, paper reduction, and lower thermostat levels, to list a few ideas.

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About MetroPool
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, MetroPool continues to provide employers and commuters with free services to encourage transportation options –car/vanpooling, walking/biking, bus/train/ferry public transit, compressed work weeks/flex hours, and pre-tax commuter benefits.  With the support of the New York State and Connecticut Departments of Transportation, MetroPool’s services are available to commuters traveling to destinations in Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties in New York, and in Fairfield County in Connecticut. For information, call MetroPool at 1-800-FIND-RIDE (1-800-346-3743), or visit www.metropool.com