Train and bus cheaper than a car

I stumbled across the article, Train and bus commute cheaper than the car, reporting on a study of transport costs in Australian cities.

In summary it calculated the costs at:
$10,698 - commuting by car (even a small car) for 15km.
$5,155 - catch public transport, leave the car at home. Saves $5543
$2,370 - catch public transport and have one less car. Saves $8328

That was one year ago. So for 2014, I tallied up how much I spent on public transport - each time I added credit to my go card.

$1195 - my total transport costs for 2014. About one-tenth of the average car costs.

So if you think you're saving money by driving, you may want to re-think that. (See how much your car costs you)

PS. You might notice it got a lot cheaper near the end of the year. I left my previous job in October, and have travelled mainly by bicycle since then. That's another great advantage of being car-free - you only pay for what you use. With car ownership, if you leave (or lose) your job, you still have to pay a year's registration, a year's insurance. The car still gets older, and loses its value. You'll also be tempted to use it (and need to buy more fuel) when you could use cheaper and healthier options.