Thinking out loud

[yogidancer]

Using LJ to think through commute options for Grad School.

Option #1

• My car only gets about 24 miles to the gallon on average.
• Round trip to the USF via car is 226 miles.
• So I'll burn approximately 10.8 gallons of gas.
• Assuming an average gas price of $2/gallon, that's $21.60
• I'll also need to pay a toll at $4

Comments

[snarkboojum]

I've taken the train a few times, and honestly when it comes to avoiding the traffic and/or parking situation in the bay area just about anywhere, the extra time was worth it. Coupled with the decent trains that they have on the Capitol Corridor (tables with power outlets, I'm pretty sure they either have or are testing wifi, etc) it makes for much more effective use of time. You could realistically spend the entire time studying and/or writing instead of sitting in the car focused on the road.

[psy]

Cost of driving is much higher. You're figuring the marginal cost at current rates. Assuming you're adding in wear and tear on a newer car, higher tolls (because they'll raise them for extra revenue during this downturn almost certainly), and a higher average gas price (because it's at a low point right now and will average much higher), you could easily be at 2-4 times as much money for driving.

Considerations.

[royalbananafish]

You can buy discount high-dollar BART tickets (I don't know much about them, you'd have to ask at the kiosks). The advantage is the discount. The disadvantage is putting the whole amount up at once. If you have a flex spending for public transit on your cafeteria plan, you could at least make the purchases with pre-tax dollars.

At least if you stay here there is no hotel cost :)

I can probably lend you my car for the days that you are here, if you need it, though that might add to parking/bridge costs and time spent driving.

I could probably lend you my car for a week, if you determined you had to drive back for some reason. This may take advanced planning.

Amtrak has discounts for frequent travelers. You sign up and get some kind of card. They also have a student rate, but you need to buy a special student ID card to get it (the card is like $20-30 per year). Also you can probably get some work done on the train, which you can't do while driving. Or you could sleep. Also not a good idea if driving.