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Drive Less
Transportation tips |
Choose the right car |
Go Car-Free
Save up to
$5,000 a year!
It
costs around $10,000 per year to own and drive a car for
18,000km (according
to the Canadian Automobile
Association). Which means that transportation eats up
a huge and often unnecessary part of your income!
And with rising gas prices, it's
not going to get any cheaper.
Now, imagine if you
could get rid of a car -- go car-free if you live downtown, or
shed a car if you have several cars in the suburbs. Actually, you still
get to drive a car.
You just don't have to
pay all the costs of owning
one!
We can save you
$5,000 a year, just by matching the best transportation options
to your needs! You'll also find you'll spend more time
shopping locally, meeting neighbours, and helping your local
economy.
A Car-Free
Attitude
Going car-free isn't easy at
first, especially if you've spent most of your life getting
around by car. But you'll soon develop new habits and find
new stores in your neighbourhood. And with car-sharing
services and rental agencies close by, you'll always have access
to a car when you need one.
Pretty soon you'll
appreciate the savings (no car payments, insurance, maintenance
costs, gas and parking), you'll be living healthier, and you'll
have discovered more local stores.
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Print off
our chart to help you calculate your transportation needs and
costs
-
Fill in
the number of trips you make on a daily, weekly, monthly and
annual basis
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Use the links
below to find out the costs for all your options.
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Add it up and
compare to the cost of car ownership.
You can also look
at our case study of a family of four in Toronto -- our
Executive Director's family.
To calculate your
own car costs, use the
CCA brochure
on Driving Costs (if this link doesn't work, search for
driving costs on the CAA home
page).
Car
Free Tips
Walking
Get a good pair of shoes and start walking! You'll be
surprised how much you've missed.
For getting kids to
school, look into starting a walking schoolbus -- it's the
healthy alternative!
www.saferoutestoschool.ca/
Bike (blades
or boards)
Count on $250 per year as an average cost for a commuter bicycle. Don't forget to
get a good helmet, reflective gear, rain jackets and pants, and
front and rear LED lights! Bike trailers are also
essential for kids and for grocery shopping.
Please remember to
cycle safely. Check with your municipality for bicycle
routes. For kids and new cyclists, we recommend the Canadian Cycling
Association's Can-Bike safety program.
Also, in Toronto, the
Community Bicycle Network is a good resource for new
cyclists.
Local Transit
If you are going to use transit on a regular basis, check
with your local transit company for transit pass rates
discounts.
Inter Urban
Transit
See Go Transit for fares
and schedules.
Car Pooling
Car pooling is a great way to cut costs if you are a regular
commuter. Many large companies now offer car pooling
services, or you can register with one of these online services:
In the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton, the Smart
Commute Association now offers a special service in
partnership with Carpooltool:
http://www.carpoolzone.smartcommute.ca/en/my/
Car Sharing
Car sharing
cooperatives or companies are a vital link in shaking the
shackles of car ownership. Join up and have access to a
car when you need one for all those short trips around town.
It will free you of the cost of ownership,
insurance, repairs, parking and gas!
Go to
www.carsharing.ca for up
to date contacts for car-sharing in Guelph, Kingston and Lodon, or check these
links:
Renting
Who says going car-free means you can't drive a car anymore?
For those out of town trips or vacations you can rent a car for
a fraction of the cost of ownership. Ask your local rental
agency if they offer hybrids, and if not then go with a regular
fuel-efficient model.
(Feb. 2009 update):
Hertz Canada offers hybrid cars as an option
as part of their Green Fleet, however the Prius costs more than
a full-size and their definition of a 'green car' is one that
gets better than 10L/100km (a rather low bar).
Discount and Budget
both provide fuel efficiency ratings on their websites (although
Budget gives the figures in mpg -- odd for a Canadian company).
Enterprise will allow you to offset your emissions with a
tree-planting program. In America, they have made a
thorough commitment to
greening their fleet and operations -- but not yet in Canada.
Our Green
Challenge: Who will be the first green car rental
company in Ontario?
Train
See
Via Rail for schedules and
fares. In northern Ontario, see also Algoma Central -
(705) 946-7300 and Ontario
Northland.
Bus
See the Greyhound for
schedules and fares. For regional service see:
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