Ditching your car in favour of using public transport more often is great for the environment and by not having your car on the road as much, you can do your bit for the planet. As well as being more green, it can also be good for your wallet too. Here’s how to save money on getting around.
Saving on Train Tickets
Many people are reluctant to travel by train because of the high ticket prices but there are ways to cut the costs:
Time your ticket purchase right. You can make good savings by booking tickets early but there may also be savings available on last minute buys. The latter can be much cheaper than buying at the station on the day so if you were going to buy your ticket this way, it’s worth checking the evening before to see if you can save.
Travel overnight. If you’re going to need to stay overnight as part of your trip, you can save money by travelling through the night on a sleeper train. Because these journeys are during off-peak times, they can be a lot cheaper and as an added bonus, you can sleep on the train and avoid the need for accommodation expenses.
Returns aren’t always better. It’s logical to assume that buying a return ticket will always be cheaper than two singles but this isn’t always the case. Many good deals are only available on one-way trips so it can be more beneficial to opt for two single tickets to maximize the potential savings. Before you book a return, check to see whether it will actually cost less to get two singles instead.
Split up your journey. It can be a lot cheaper to buy tickets covering separate legs of your journey compared to one return or two singles. For example, if the train doesn’t go straight from A to B but instead stops at X along the way, it can be more cost effective to get tickets for A-X and X-B (rather than the most common tactic of buying a ticket for A-B) and for the return, B-X and X-A (rather than B-A). It may not be the obvious way to book tickets and it does take a bit more effort to check the prices for each of these ticket options to make sure that they are a) available and b) cheaper than buying a through ticket but it can get you a much better deal.
On longer journeys, if even part of your journey is in peak time, a return ticket will often cost peak prices. Splitting tickets means that if only one leg of your journey falls is at peak time, you won’t be charged peak prices for the trip as a whole – just for the leg(s) that is at peak time.
Buy a season ticket. If you’re travelling by train most days, you can save with a season ticket. These can be quite expensive as they usually cost the equivalent of around 40 weeks of travel (on season ticket prices) but you’re essentially getting 12 weeks worth free.
Using the Car Less
Beyond using public transport more, you can also save money and be more green by cutting down on how much you use your car:
Don’t use the car for short trips. It’s not fuel efficient to use the car for short trips and you’re be using more fuel than you need to on these kind of journeys. If you can walk, do so.
Join a carpool. By agreeing to share lifts with someone who is heading to the same place as you, you can cut your petrol costs (and parking costs if this is also a factor) for the days that you won’t be doing the driving.
Combine activities to make less trips. If you’ve got an appointment or meeting one day, decide if it’s feasible to do your shopping while you’re already out and about so that you’re making one less trip.
Walk or cycle instead. These can work out cheaper than both driving and using public transport and are much healthier options too. If you don’t live too far from your destination and you won’t be lugging heavy bags around, try getting into the habit of walking or cycling instead.
So, how have you been able to save on transport costs? I would love to hear your ideas.
5 Frugal Living Tips To Saving Money Living within your means isn’t easy with modern life, with many essential items we need to purchase just to get…
This is one issue where conveinence often cross-sections with pragmatism. Still, you ofter some great tips on saving money in an eco-friendly way regardless. Personally, I do have to check the prices of single trips more. I would love to find more deals by breaking up my trips.
Different cities will have different options so they key is to be aware of how you can save. I hope you are able to find some tricks for where you live. I don’t have trains where I live so I rely more on the driving less options.
My new teaching assignment is have the distance, but I still use as much gas because it is all surface streets. I have cut down on some of the extra driving, but still have to fill up every two weeks.
Every two weeks is better than some so don’t get too down. There are limits we can go with these kinds of tips but the key is to be aware. When you are aware you might actually see a way to save a few miles or a few dollars.
Good for you for biking to work. That is awesome. I used to walk to work but then my office moved. Next year I am going to get organized and bike to work. The fresh air is such a stress reliever.
I’m a big fan of using cars less and bikes more. I have determined that it’s possible to commute by bicycle to any part of Virginina Beach from my home on bicycle, weather permitting.
Yes, it does save on maintenance. We carpool and it works great. On the weekends we try to walk to where we need to go if it is close. Just this past weekend we walked to dinner. It was awesome.
Well living in Manchester sometimes the rain gets the better of you. In the UK where train travel is really expensive (well over $1 a mile), the split journeys are commonplace – most websites offer them I think. And the pokey small trains are a pain too! Oh for the Continental European idea of charging by the mile (kilometre).
But the question that needs to be asked is – do you really need a car at all? Or do you just need one not two? Sometimes I think we only have a car (5000 miles a year) for our son. As we live on a frequent bus route and generally work at home, a car is really not necessary. But I don’t suppose we will get rid of it because when the chips are down, they are very useful!
Glad to hear you are taking advantage of the split journey rates. As far as whether you need to own a car really depends on the family. If you can walk to anywhere you need to go then I would say no. But if you have to commute to kids sports games and to work then you will need at least some of kind of wheels. I wish we could live in a world with no cars but it seems that things are so spread out now that this wouldn’t be possible. We try to carpool to cut down on gas as we can and then we try to walk the rest of the time.
A few days back, my boyfriend and I decided to walk to the store instead of driving. It was good for the environment and also for us to get some fresh air and exercise 😉 Great tips about train and airplane tickets.
Glad to hear you tried walking and enjoyed it. The fresh air feels awesome and the bonus exercise rocks too. If you can walk to where you need to go I definitely recommend it. This is why we bought our house where we did. We can walk to many places.
Wish I could ride my bike to work but I live too far away for that. Public transportation is not an option either as I would have to take multiple transfers. Good ideas though.
I would love to take a sleeper train somewhere. I fall asleep on trains pretty much immediately anyway, so having that be my accommodations too would be a bonus.
I now drive my car mostly on the weekends only, which really helps to save a lot of money, time, and reduces stress during the work week. I am only able to do this cause I live close to downtown, though.
That is awesome. Good for you. Living central sure has it’s perks. We also live central and this is something we take advantage of. We try to walk to as many places as we can. I used to be able to walk to work too until my office got moved. Now I have to go through the ghetto which my husband is not so keen on. Next year, I am going to get organized and ride my bike to work. I really miss the bonus fresh air, not to mention the money savings.
Good tips. My mom may be taking the train to come visit us over the holidays. I will share your money saving tips with her.
Great. I hope she finds them helpful. I took the Amtrack a few years ago and I really liked it. It was a really comfortable and affordable ride.
This is one issue where conveinence often cross-sections with pragmatism. Still, you ofter some great tips on saving money in an eco-friendly way regardless. Personally, I do have to check the prices of single trips more. I would love to find more deals by breaking up my trips.
Different cities will have different options so they key is to be aware of how you can save. I hope you are able to find some tricks for where you live. I don’t have trains where I live so I rely more on the driving less options.
My new teaching assignment is have the distance, but I still use as much gas because it is all surface streets. I have cut down on some of the extra driving, but still have to fill up every two weeks.
Every two weeks is better than some so don’t get too down. There are limits we can go with these kinds of tips but the key is to be aware. When you are aware you might actually see a way to save a few miles or a few dollars.
I bike to work every day, and it’s been a huge savings over owning a car and driving instead. Plus I find it a lot more enjoyable and less stressful.
When traveling by train I look for promo codes for Amtrak which have saved me a few bucks here and there.
Good for you for biking to work. That is awesome. I used to walk to work but then my office moved. Next year I am going to get organized and bike to work. The fresh air is such a stress reliever.
If it is an option, nothing beats cycling or walking! Good for the body, mind and your wallet!
I totally agree. I used to walk to work and it was so healing. I craved it. I really miss it.
I’m a big fan of using cars less and bikes more. I have determined that it’s possible to commute by bicycle to any part of Virginina Beach from my home on bicycle, weather permitting.
Glad to hear. Biking is great because you can go farther faster in comparison to walking. I am going to ride to work next spring and summer.
We have access to public transportation so we can share one car. It works very well for us.
Good idea. We car pool and it works out well.
I’ve been amazed how car pooling, even on occasion, can save money… not only on the fuel, but the general maintenance costs of operating a vehicle.
Yes, it does save on maintenance. We carpool and it works great. On the weekends we try to walk to where we need to go if it is close. Just this past weekend we walked to dinner. It was awesome.
Great tips – while train travel isnt really practical where I live, I do walk and ride my bike for about 90% of my trips.
That sounds even better than the train. Don’t you just love the fresh air? It feels so good. I loved it when I was able to walk to work.
Well living in Manchester sometimes the rain gets the better of you. In the UK where train travel is really expensive (well over $1 a mile), the split journeys are commonplace – most websites offer them I think. And the pokey small trains are a pain too! Oh for the Continental European idea of charging by the mile (kilometre).
But the question that needs to be asked is – do you really need a car at all? Or do you just need one not two? Sometimes I think we only have a car (5000 miles a year) for our son. As we live on a frequent bus route and generally work at home, a car is really not necessary. But I don’t suppose we will get rid of it because when the chips are down, they are very useful!
Glad to hear you are taking advantage of the split journey rates. As far as whether you need to own a car really depends on the family. If you can walk to anywhere you need to go then I would say no. But if you have to commute to kids sports games and to work then you will need at least some of kind of wheels. I wish we could live in a world with no cars but it seems that things are so spread out now that this wouldn’t be possible. We try to carpool to cut down on gas as we can and then we try to walk the rest of the time.
Chevy has that new 90 MPG car right? that’d be a good buy
They are still using gas though which isn’t good. I wouldn’t buy one. There will be better technologies coming.
A few days back, my boyfriend and I decided to walk to the store instead of driving. It was good for the environment and also for us to get some fresh air and exercise 😉 Great tips about train and airplane tickets.
Glad to hear you tried walking and enjoyed it. The fresh air feels awesome and the bonus exercise rocks too. If you can walk to where you need to go I definitely recommend it. This is why we bought our house where we did. We can walk to many places.
Wish I could ride my bike to work but I live too far away for that. Public transportation is not an option either as I would have to take multiple transfers. Good ideas though.
That’s a shame. How about carpooling? Are there others you could split rides with?
I travel very early or very late. You always get a discount for doing that. Also travel in the middle of the week
Agreed. We have used this method for flights. We save a lot on our vacations by being flexible with our time.
I would love to take a sleeper train somewhere. I fall asleep on trains pretty much immediately anyway, so having that be my accommodations too would be a bonus.
They are quite comfortable surprisingly. I think its a great deal for a ride and accommodations. Way cheaper than a hotel.
I now drive my car mostly on the weekends only, which really helps to save a lot of money, time, and reduces stress during the work week. I am only able to do this cause I live close to downtown, though.
That is awesome. Good for you. Living central sure has it’s perks. We also live central and this is something we take advantage of. We try to walk to as many places as we can. I used to be able to walk to work too until my office got moved. Now I have to go through the ghetto which my husband is not so keen on. Next year, I am going to get organized and ride my bike to work. I really miss the bonus fresh air, not to mention the money savings.
Awesome tips. I don’t use long distance trains, but good to know. Will look into your car less tips. Thanks!
Your welcome. There are probably other things you can try to . It just depends on what different options cities offer.