WORKSHEET: The REAL cost of driving alone
Enter your own data to find out what you can save by sharing the ride!
Calculations for a
sample commuter (with a 60-mile round trip daily commute) show annual savings
of approximately $2,000 and 72 tons of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants!
(see box at right)
Miles |
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Sample calculation
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1. Annual miles driven (including non-work miles) |
________ |
20,000 miles |
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2. Daily round trip miles to work |
________ |
60 miles |
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3. Number of days worked per week |
________ |
5 days |
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4. Number of weeks worked per year |
________ |
48 weeks |
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5. Total annual commute miles: line 2 x line 3 x line 4 |
________ |
60 x 5 x 48 = 14,440
miles |
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Gas |
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6. Gas cost per gallon |
________ |
$1.35/gallon |
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7. Vehicle miles per gallon |
________ |
22 mpg
(national average) |
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8. Gas cost per mile: line 6 ¸
line 7 |
________ |
1.35 ¸ 22
= ˘6.1/mile |
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Maintenance and repair |
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9. Maintenance and repair costs per mile: |
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Enter cost
per mile for the vehicle type below that is most similar to
your own (data from AAA) |
________ |
˘5.9/mile
(ex. Ford Taurus) |
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2003 Chevrolet Cavalier LS: ˘5.4/mile 2003 Dodge Caravan SE passenger van: ˘5.5/mile 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer LS 2WD 4-dr sport utility: ˘5.6/mile 2003 Ford Taurus SEL: ˘5.9/mile 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis LS: ˘6.5/mile |
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Depreciation |
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10. Price you paid for vehicle |
________ |
$18,000 |
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11. Projected trade-in value |
________ |
$1,500 |
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12. Projected number of years owning vehicle |
________ |
7 years |
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13. Annual depreciation: (line 10 - line 11) ¸
line 12 |
________ |
(18,000 – 1,500)
¸
7 = $2,357 |
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14. Depreciation cost per mile: line 13 ¸
line 1 |
________ |
2,357 ¸
20,000 = ˘11.8/mile |
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Annual work-related driving costs* |
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15. Driving cost per mile: line 8 + line 9 + line 14 |
________ |
6.1 + 5.9 + 11.8
= ˘23.8/mile |
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16. Total annual work-related driving costs: (line5 x
line 15) ¸100 |
________ |
(14,400x23.8)¸100=
$3,427/yr |
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17. Total monthly work-related driving costs: line 16 ¸ 12 |
________ |
3,427 ¸ 12
= $286/mo |
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Annual savings from sharing the ride |
You SAVE: |
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18. 2-person carpool (driver and rider split expenses): line
16 ¸
2 |
$_______or |
3,427 ¸ 2
= $1,713/yr |
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19. Vanpool: (line 17 – vanpool fee) x 12 |
$_______ |
(286 – 125) x 12
= $1,932/yr |
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(Estimated fee to vanpool
5 days/week from Brunswick: $125/month, pro-rated for fewer days. Actual fees may be lower!) |
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20. Environmental savings for 2-person carpool (in pounds of greenhouse
gasses and other pollutants): (line 5 ¸ 2) x 20 |
and at least: _______lbs |
(14,400 ¸ 2)
x 20 = 144,000 lbs/yr |
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(Burning a gallon of gas in your car
emits about 20 lbs of pollutants. Carpooling reduces emissions by half;
vanpooling by even more.) |
of pollution |
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* Important: Notice that this calculation does not
include license, insurance, and registration fees, nor does it include USM’s
transportation fee, tolls, or the costs to maintain and plow a private driveway
and/or garage. These expenses easily add over ˘20 per mile to your driving costs. They are
intentionally left out of this calculation because you pay them whether or not
you use your car for commuting to work. The savings you calculate here are a
conservative estimate of the money you can actually save by sharing the ride.