After the bus and the walk comes the car.
This week I've driven 49.7 miles getting to work. It's been convenient, fast and private. It's cost me £6. In terms of personal gain it's probably been the best of the three modes of transport.
So why am I dissatisfied?
I'd have liked the bus to come out tops. I can live with having to stick to a schedule (that's a good thing in a way), and I'm not fussed about travelling with others. It's the cost that kills it though.
The £6 was for petrol alone. There's also depreciation of the vehicle, tax, insurance and servicing charges to consider but there's no easy way to calculate the 'true cost'.
I tried dividing the annual running cost by the number of weeks, giving a cost of £25. Dividing it insted by mileage gave a more reasonable £8. Using my employer's expenses rate the cost is £13.
The variance is so wide it's hard to use as a deciding factor.
Ultimately it'll be the other reasons that tip the balance. Which just leaves me with the question: how generous do I feel? We'll find out next month.
For now I'm off on another long drive. I'll send postcards from the road.
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