3 ms·
Caltrain is definitely cheaper than driving for one person. As an example, Palo Alto to San Francisco caltrain is $7.70 for a 32 mile ride. That's 24 cents per
by yuliyp 4y ago
Caltrain is definitely cheaper than driving for one person. As an example, Palo Alto to San Francisco caltrain is $7.70 for a 32 mile ride. That's 24 cents per mile. The IRS mileage rate is 62 cents per mile. Even if you add $5.50 for parking at the station, it's 41 cents per mile.
- vlovich123 4y agoHow much is it in terms of min/$?
- zbrozek 4y agoI drive a cheap EV which I charge for free. A marginal mile costs me about 18 cents. On top of that I'm usually traveling to SF to visit friends with my wife. Hard to justify taking the train.
- mixmastamyk 4y agoWhat about car insurance, tolls, wear and tear, potential tickets, etc?
- yellowapple 4y agoI don't know of any tolls that would be relevant in the provided SF <-> Palo Alto example, and car insurance is static. Tickets are also easy enough to avoid. Wear and tear is really the main concern.
- yuliyp 4y agoHow do you figure 18 cents? a $30k EV amortized across 200k miles is 15 cents alone. Add any maintenance on top of that and you're easily over 18 cents of marginal cost per mile before electricity or any other amortizable costs (risk of accident, tolls, parking, etc).
- zbrozek 4y agoDon't buy new (and best do it during the early pandemic crash) and don't pay for electricity. Running costs are primarily insurance, registration, and tires. Have a long commute so you strongly amortize those first two.