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Significant annual savings
Using the transportation cocktail every day has many advantages. It’s easy on the environment and easy on your wallet and your family’s, too.
According to the CAA, driving alone to get around (20,000 km/year) costs nearly $10,000 a year. This includes operating expenses, maintenance and annual depreciation. Using different modes from the transportation cocktail, such as walking, biking, taking public transit, car sharing and carpooling—depending on your destination and needs—costs five times less.
Do the math!
Set up home where it pays
Where you live is an important factor in reducing single-occupancy car use because it determines your household’s transportation habits for years to come. Living in an area with access to various modes of transportation other than cars and near basic, local services may be highly beneficial.
Living far from central areas may seem like a more cost-effective option, but inevitable car use may prove more expensive over the years (neighbourhood with little or no access to public transit).
Take, for example, a couple from Verdun, who use a car for intercity trips (6,000 km/year) and public transit for commuting, and a couple from a suburb north of Montreal, who use two cars for commuting and one car for intercity trips (30,000 km/year). After nine years, the vehicle cost for the more central Verdun option—with easy access to public transit—is absorbed and $10,000 are saved each year. The same applies to other areas in Quebec where you can commute without a car.
Average sale price, single-family home (1) Annual transportation costs (2) Cost after 9 years (home and transportation) Verdun $390,000 $5,000 $435,000 Laval $300,000 $15,000 $435,000(1) Greater Montreal Real Estate Board, 2015 data.
(2) CAA for a 2000 Honda Civic LX; Société de transport de Montréal for rates.
Win a year of eco-friendly transportation!
There’s still time to enter the Beat Car Dependence with the Transportation Cocktail contest for a chance to win a prize worth $2,500 including
- free public transit for a year
- a hybrid bike with accessories
- a car-sharing package.
Enter the contest until October 29th! (French only)
