How much does it cost you to get to work?

Carbon neutral travel

A recent poll suggested that almost half of drivers think car ownership is becoming unaffordable, it is claimed. Drivers feel the rocketing prices of tax, fuel, insurance and maintenance are pushing costs beyond their means. And almost one in five would sell their car next year if they could find a cheap, practical and convenient alternative. So, now that the majority of local filling stations have pushed the price of a litre of petrol or diesel through the £1.00 mark how much does it cost you to get to work?

Using Sleaford to Lincoln as an example of a typical local daily commute, how much does that journey cost you?

You may be surprised to learn that the twenty mile journey can cost you £12 - £15 pounds per day. That’s £75.00 per week or £300.00 per month. Shocking, isn’t it?

How are those costs worked out? For one person in one car that twenty mile journey can easily take an hour each way at peak times and will use up a gallon of petrol - £5.00. Car parking when you get there – another £5.00. Each day’s insurance and road tax - £2.00. Other annual car related costs (MOT, tyres, repairs etc.) on a daily pro rata basis can be in the region of £2 - £3.00.

If you made that same journey by train, with a little bit of forward planning it could cost you less than £3.00 each day. That’s a saving of £60.00 per week or a whopping £240.00 per month. (Or, what you would spend in one month’s car costs would cover three months of train fares). Just think what you could do with that extra cash. If your employer allowed you some flexibility instead of sticking rigidly to the 9:00 – 17:00 working day and if you travelled with your colleagues then a GroupSave fare allows four adults travelling together to purchase two tickets and receive two for free, splitting the cost between them. GroupSave fares operate after 9:30am. A GroupSave fare from Sleaford to Lincoln costs £11.20 and a train leaves Sleaford at 9:31am.

Before 9:30am a day return costs £7.10, still a daily saving of 50% of the price a similar car journey, and there are even greater savings to be made if you purchase monthly, three or six monthly or annual season tickets. 

So, congratulations to all train commuters, you’re all helping to combat climate change by taking the most energy efficient mode of mechanical transport. Here’s why:

• Filling empty seats on trains makes them even more energy efficient.
• Cars generate three times more carbon than trains per passenger.
• Modern station developments help the environment too, for example by using geothermal energy to reduce heating costs.
• The cost of environmental damage, accidents and congestion per passenger kilometre are three to ten times higher for road traffic than for rail.
• Trains create far less CO2 than road transport for each passenger they carry or tonne of freight they move.
• Rail is the only mode of transport with the potential to become carbon neutral.

And finally, rail travel is healthier. You can enjoy a brisk walk or bike ride to and from the station and you can exercise your mind too by using the journey time to get stuck into a good book. Secure bike lockers are available at most stations.