Save thousands of dollars a year by riding transit. See a list of the cities with the highest average savings from riding transit below.
On average, you can save $778 a month or $9,330 a year riding transit. Transit riders in New York City, however, save $1,159 a month ($13,906 a year) on average (the most).
Additionally, riding transit is one of the best things you can do to make the air and water cleaner and to stop rapid, catastrophic climate change.
“U.S. public transit ridership saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually,” American Public Transportation Association President William Millar says.
“Taking transit… is something we all can do in response to the BP oil disaster,” says Ann Mesnikoff, the Sierra Club’s Green Transportation Campaign Director. “Public transportation is key to ending our dependence on oil and reducing our global warming pollution.”
Here’s the list of the 20 cities where you save the most money riding transit.
Top Twenty Cities – Transit Savings Report
| Rank | City | Monthly Savings | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $1,159 | $13,906 |
| 2 | Boston | $1,040 | $12,481 |
| 3 | San Francisco | $1,026 | $12,309 |
| 4 | Chicago | $955 | $11,463 |
| 5 | Seattle | $946 | $11,346 |
| 6 | Philadelphia | $934 | $11,203 |
| 7 | Honolulu | $902 | $10,824 |
| 8 | Los Angeles | $847 | $10,163 |
| 9 | San Diego | $834 | $10,009 |
| 10 | Minneapolis | $828 | $9,938 |
| 11 | Portland | $811 | $9,736 |
| 12 | Denver | $811 | $9,727 |
| 13 | Cleveland | $808 | $9,701 |
| 14 | Baltimore | $789 | $9,465 |
| 15 | Washington, DC | $759 | $9,107 |
| 16 | Miami | $756 | $9,067 |
| 17 | Dallas | $736 | $8,834 |
| 18 | Las Vegas | $726 | $8,712 |
| 19 | Atlanta | $725 | $8,694 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | $685 | $8,218 |
*Based on gasoline prices as reported by AAA on 6/16/10.
Transit savings are “based on the June 16, 2010 national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate.”
Image Credit: theqspeaks via flickr/CC license
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Zachary Shahan
If you couldn't guess, I spend most of my time on CleanTechnica and Planetsave. I'm the director/editor of both sites and am a little obsessed with them and the topics they cover. I'm also Publishing Services Manager at Important Media, which means that I do everything I can to support other Important Media writers, editors, and directors (as well as the network as a whole) in the good work they are engaged in. You can also find my work on Scientific American, Reuters, Change.org, most of the sites in the Important Media network, & many other places. For more, or to connect, go to: zacharyshahan.com
2 Responses to Riding Transit Saves You $9,330 a Year
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[...] in the U.S. or in numerous big cities saves by riding transit. The national average is almost $10,000 a year! Could you use another $10,000/year? I know I [...]
[...] Transit riders in the U.S., on average, save nearly $10,000 a year. (This is not counting the money you would get if you sold your car.) Could you use another $10,000? [...]