Fuel Price Hike Means Car Commuters Can Save Thousands of Euro by Switching to Bus

- Kells-Dublin commuter could save over €2,400 a year

 - A month of travel on city services costs less than the cost of a tank of petrol

Car commuters could potentially save themselves thousands of euro in fuel costs by switching to the bus for some or all of their journeys, according to the latest Cost of Commuting Survey from Bus Éireann.

With the recent hike in petrol (€169.9c) and diesel (€159.9c) prices, commuters who regularly travel to work by car could be adding hundreds or thousands of euro to their annual household bills. This doesn’t even include other savings to be made by switching to the bus including reduced parking charges and toll charges, and operating costs (servicing, oil, tyres and other repairs).

For instance, the annual cost of petrol for commuting by car between Kells and Dublin is an estimated €4,958.36* excluding additional charges, according to the Cost of Commuting Survey.

However, if that person was to take the bus between Kells and Dublin using a Bus Éireann weekly ticket it would cost them €2,538 a year – a saving of over €2,400.

Even further savings of up to 52 per cent off the monthly or yearly cost of the fare could be achieved depending on a person’s tax status by signing up to the Taxsaver Scheme as these tickets are not subject to tax, PRSI or the Universal Social Charge (USC).

The survey also found that someone travelling by car between Galway and Ballinasloe will spend €21.61** on petrol for every round-trip compared to just €14.00 for a return ticket between these destinations on Bus Éireann.

Car users could also have a month’s worth of travel on Bus Éireann’s City services for less than the cost of a tank of petrol. Cork’s monthly adult ticket is good value at €65.50 for unlimited travel on its extensive city network. Waterford city services offer an unlimited monthly city adult commuter ticket at €52.50. Galway and Limerick city services offer an unlimited monthly city adult commuter ticket at €58.00. This compares with the potential cost of a tank of petrol of €76.46***.

When it comes to longer journeys, a couple could take a day trip such as Dublin-Athlone or Galway–Clifden with Bus Éireann for less than half the cost of a tank of petrol. For example, two Day Return tickets Dublin-Athlone cost €32.00 in total (€16.00 each), a Day Return trip between Galway-Clifden costs €14.00 (€28.00 for two), or a Day Return on the Waterford-Kilkenny route is €11.50 (€23.00 for two).

An AA Ireland survey in February 2012 found the monthly cost of having a car has increased by €18.75 for petrol users and by €23.85 for diesel users.

“With the increase in fuel prices it is getting more expensive to use the car. Commuters who leave the car at home even a couple of days a week and take the bus instead could save hundreds of euro a year,” said Andrew McLindon, PR and Media Manager, Bus Éireann.

With 88 new city, commuter and inter-city vehicles currently going into service around the country, Bus Éireann customers can now benefit from free Wi-Fi. Selected seats on the new coaches also have power sockets and ISOFIX attachment points for child safety seats.

Car users intending to switch to the bus can view up-to-the second bus arrival times for stops across the country via the Web or text at www.whensmybus.ie, which uses GPS technology to track the Bus Éireann fleet of vehicles. 

 

 

Sunday, 8th April, 2012