Let’s play a little game here. What do you think when you see someone driving a hybrid car? Pompous do-gooders? Attention whores? Tree-huggers? Or are these people that simply want to make a difference? Now… what do you think when you see someone riding public transportation (especially in car-loving Los Angeles)? Low income? Suspended license? Illegal immigrant? Quite a disparity of image between two modes of transportation.
This past week, I joined the group of public transportation riders. Why? Because I did the math, and the dollars and sense did not add up for a hybrid car- especially the current crop of hybrids that will take 7-10 years to pay dividends for the extra expense they carry on the front end. Sure, you can argue that if you buy a hybrid, you save the planet by spewing less pollution, or using less fuel, but you would be wrong. Today’s hybrids are heavy, gutless, and rarely provide better than 30% improvement in fuel consumption in “real world” use. Which is why I chose to “Go Metro”. Commuting from Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles during rush hour traffic is hell if you’re driving a car- hybrid or otherwise. For a 12 mile commute, it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. In that time, my Nissan Maxima will consume just about 1 gallon of gas. At today’s fuel prices (~$3.89/gallon), that adds up to $7.78 per day for fuel alone. Not to mention the wear and tear costs like brakes, tires, drivetrain, etc. AAA calculates true cost of ownership for a mid-size sedan to be $0.72 per mile, based on 10,000 miles per year. That’s $7,200 per year! I purchased a monthly pass to ride the Metro for $62, for a total of $744 per year. That, my friends, is almost a 10 x savings!
Besides the cost savings benefit, I can consider myself more “green” or environmentally conscious than any Prius owner out there, who still consumes fuel and emits greenhouse gases. So not only am I saving money and saving the environment, but more importantly for me, I am saving my sanity. I hate sitting in traffic. It is a complete waste of time and an accident waiting to happen. Sitting and stressing for 2 hours a day is not productive, nor is it healthy. Now, I can sit on a train or a bus and read a book, or catch up on the latest news on the internet, or simply put on the headphones and zone out for two hours a day, catching up on thoughts and ideas that need nourishment.
I now see why the rest of the world has embraced public transportation. It is so unfortunate that the transit system in Los Angeles is so poorly designed and therefore underutilized. I am fortunate to have a fairly straghtforward route from door to door, and I would be foolish to not take advantage of this opportunity.
Shamir Merino
