The Transportation Conundrum: Drive or Ride?

Transportation is a life essential. We’re long past the era where we can walk everywhere. For many, owning a car is a given — you have to own a car — but now the question is whether driving that car regularly makes sense.

To test the idea, I set up several options: a subcompact 2015 Toyota Yaris, midsize 2015 Toyota Camry, luxury SUV Lexus GX 460, and luxury midsize 2015 Lexus ES 300h.

“Many of us are going to own a car, but we also need to know if the hassle of RTD (no offense!) is worth parking our wheels in the garage.”

To do our homework, we’ll focus on fuel costs versus fares.

Our baseline is the $869 annual RTD pass. The test route is the 15 miles from Aurora to downtown Denver. That means spending roughly $73 a month on RTD. But wait! We also have to consider commute time. Let’s say we want to leave at 4pm; rush hour. I know from driving this commute for two years that it takes about 45 minutes. Bus-wise, it takes a minimum of 1 hour and 22 minutes. That’s almost two times longer! Worse still, going home takes even longer on the 8pm bus: 1 hour and 39 minutes. Driving? Try 30 minutes at the most because traffic has disappeared.

So what about those cars? Well, let’s consider this. The 2015 Toyota Yaris, a small city-commuter car, gets 30 mpg in the city. You can go downtown and back for the one-time fuel cost of about $1.90. If you park in the discount evening lots for $5, you’re at a monthly cost of $207. And, if you have people commuting with you, say the four that’ll easily fit in the Yaris, you end up splitting that by four, which brings the cost down to about $52 per month.

You don’t want to drive a Yaris? What about the 2015 Lexus GX 460 luxury SUV with seating for seven? With a powerful and capable V8, entertainment system front and rear, and luxury features like a heated steering wheel, heated seats, and adaptive cruise control, it’ll get you anywhere in style. It’ll also double the fuel costs, meaning your monthly cost for the trip by yourself would be $414, and splitting by four would be $102. Remember, though: Splitting by four is still cheaper than the $73 monthly RTD pass. (I think the GX 460 might be a tad bit more inviting to ride in as well.)

Then there’s the 2015 Toyota Camry XLE. With a new look for 2015, the Camry has room for five in a pinch and features that would fit in the luxury class. In addition, it’s pretty efficient with a 21 mpg city rating and an easy-to-drive demeanor. Given the more efficient engine, this mode of transportation will set you back about $232 a month individually and $58 if splitting by four. And, the new 2015 Camry could almost be mistaken for a Lexus ES … from 50 feet away.

So what does this all really mean? If you want to own a car, then OWN it. Public transport isn’t going to save you that much and the extra time you spend — up to two times longer — is worth money as well. More adventurous or have an eco-friendly office? Try carpooling for dramatic savings; just have people pool money to pay for the commute. Or ride your bike: 15 miles during nice weather will not only save you money, but will get you in better shape.