Metro Transit's Web site helps compute commute cost

With gas prices reaching a record high and the cost of parking soaring, Metro Transit has teamed up with AAA Washington to create an online calculator to figure out how much a driver can save by riding the bus.

By factoring in the number of commute miles, commute days, cost of monthly parking, cost of gasoline and the vehicle's fuel efficiency, the calculator can figure the monthly cost of driving alone and how much a motorist could save by taking Metro during peak and off-peak hours.

"This seemed like a good time to remind people the bus is there," said Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke.

The calculator, reached at transit.metrokc.gov/tops/bus/calculator.html, uses the most recent commuting information available, including local gas prices from AAA's daily fuel-gauge report.

"We know many people prefer the convenience of their car, but sometimes it's just not worth it to drive alone," said Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond.

"When you compare the price of a monthly bus pass to the combined cost for gas, parking and wear and tear on your car, most people find they can save money by taking the bus or participating in a van pool."

A one-zone pass costs $54 a month; a two-zone pass costs $72. Metro says about 80 percent of the Metro passes are underwritten by employers.

There are other savings not included in the calculation, such as on insurance and maintenance.

Thielke said studies show that the average commute in the Puget Sound area is 12.3 miles, so she looked at a drive-alone commuter from the Crossroads neighborhood in Bellevue to downtown Seattle and found he could save $138 a month by riding the bus.

That's calculated by using a 25-mile round-trip commute 20 days a month, driving a vehicle that gets 25 miles to the gallon. Factored in are $2.50 a gallon for gas and $8 a day to park downtown.

Doing the math, that comes to $210 a month for the commute costs; a bus would have cost $72, leaving savings of $138.

"Multiply that $138 monthly savings by 12 months," said Desmond, "and you've got a nice nest egg for a vacation or season tickets to the Mariners."

Thielke said it's too soon to know whether the record-high gas prices have caused more people to take the bus, but she said inquiries about car pooling have increased in the past two weeks.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com