Interested in Leaving Your Car at Home?
There are many reasons why you may be interested in an alternative to driving alone, and there also may be many concerns you have about actually being able to leave your car at home. In this section, we'll address a few of the common barriers people perceive to leaving their cars at home, and some of the UW Commuter Solutions we offer that may remove these barriers for you!
Driving to work alone may seem convenient, but it can be expensive, hard on the environment, and downright frustrating. If you’ve ever wished there was a better way, your wishes are answered. UW Commuter Solutions is here to help you make a transportation choice that will save you money and irritation while also helping to save our environment.
Worried that you’ll get stuck at work with no way home in an emergency? Have a doctor’s appointment during the day? UW Commuter Solutions has you covered. Our Emergency Ride Home program assures that you’ll never be stuck without a ride. Community Car provides a great option for errands during the work day… and gas, insurance, and parking is included in their low hourly rate! Want all the flexibility of driving without the cost? Try bicycling!
Our Commuter Solutions team is waiting to assist you with learning how to use alternative transportation. Simply complete our online request form and tell us the modes you're interested in, and your commuting goals. We will provide you will detailed information on any mode choice that interests you, all the way down to mapping out a bus or bike route from your home’s front stoop to your desk at work. In the meantime, visit our UW Commuter Solutions page for answers to all of your questions.
Many people think that being too far from campus means that their only option is to drive alone. In fact, being farther away from campus just gives you more incentive to find an alternative to driving alone! If you choose to carpool or vanpool, you'll not only save money on gas, vehicle wear and tear, and parking, but you'll also find that you can use the time it takes to ride into campus to work, read, rest or relax instead of staring at the highway!
Many people are skeptical about the savings that they will see by not driving to campus. Will it really be worth the effort it takes to change? What about the environmental benefits? Are they really signifigant? Here is a break down of common savings for you:
Here's what you can save with alternative transportation a few times a week
Estimated daily cost of driving alone:
- Average daily estimated cost of owning a car if you never drove it: $22
- Average daily cost of driving (not including ownership: $5
- Total daily cost of driving: $26
Estimated daily cost of using other modes to travel to campus:
- Walk: $0
- Bus: $0
- Bike: $0
- Carpool (Two person): $2.50
- Vanpool (Estimate, varies by pool: $4
- Park and Ride: $2.50
Estimated daily savings of using other modes to travel to campus
(assuming you keep your car):
- Walk: $5
- Bus: $5
- Bike: $5
- Carpool (Two person): $2.50
- Vanpool (Estimate, varies by pool): $1
- Park and Ride: $2.50
Estimated annual savings of using other modes to travel to campus
(assuming you keep your car):
- Walk: $1,300
- Bus: $1,300
- Bike: $1,300
- Carpool (Two person): $650
- Vanpool (Estimate, varies by pool): $260
- Park and Ride: $650
Here's the pollution you can avoid by using alternative transportation a few times a week
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, for every mile driven, the average passenger car (source, http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/f00013.htm):
- Emits 2.8 grams Hydrocarbons
- Emits 20.9 grams Carbon Monoxide (poses a health threat)
- Emits 1.39 grams Oxides of Nitrogen (component of ground level ozone, which is a health danger, contributes to formation of acid rain, contributes to global warming)
- Emits 0.916 pounds Carbon Dioxide (contributes to global warming)
- Uses 0.0465 gallons of gasoline