Wednesday, May 12, 2010

More expensive than owning and driving your own car

Error Report:  It costs between $0.50 and $0.60 per mile to own and operate the typical US Car.

My wheels got whacked by a tree in a storm and so I'm pedestrian for a week.  I'm taking St. Louis' award winning mass transit system.  Taking the train from near my house to the office and back all week.  Gave me time to think about mass transit.  Based upon my calculations it costs in real terms somewhere between $0.60 and $1.20 a mile and twice as much time for me to use the Metro to get to work - my cost estimate does not include my time.  By contrast, the IRS tells us that the total all in cost per mile of driving your own car (capital, maintenance, taxes, fuel, Insurance) is roughly $0.30 per mile.

So in Saint Louis we could buy everyone who needs one a car and pay for it sugar daddy style so that they could drive themselves.  It would save between half and 75% of the costs and half of the time  of the 'people's' mass transit system.  And since less than 1% of all St. Louis trips are taken on the "Mass Union Employment Scam" the increased traffic probably wouldn't be noticed (except for the disappearance of the big lumbering buses).

It's far past time to stop pretending that our 'leaders' give a rip about the little guy.

Choo.  Choo.

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