Gangrene Pubic Transit. Err, I mean Going Green with Public Transit!
So, I did the entire commute today public transit style in the belated spirit of Earth day and getting my green on. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the benefits, and may hang up the car keys on a more frequent basis. But was it a better way to travel?
My current commute takes me down to DC from the Reston area. This is a shit commute for anyone without an HOV carpool or lame-o hybrid (i want one). It is about 23 miles one way, or 46 miles round trip. I’m getting about 20 miles to the gallon - a little less, really 
- so with gas at 3.53 today, this is 8.12 in fuel.
The Faifax connector will charge you only .35 cents for the bus trip round trip if conducted to the metro and back in the same day - an incentive to bus it to the metro. Metro at rush hour is 3.10, so 6.20 round trip. But wait, theirs more! I left at 7:20 or so making my fare only 1.85 on the way home. So, this puts me at 4.95. With the bus fare, I spent 5.30.
That’s a difference of $2.82 overall - more than 34%! What’s more is that it also took roughly 20-25 minutes off my commute, and the entire time I could play on the iPhone, read the Onion, or sleep. Anything but stare into the sea of cars that awaits me most mornings. I’m looking forward to getting my public transit on more often.