How to Save Money on Transportation

Here are a few tips that can help you save money when getting from point A to point B:

• Know when to take public transit
  - Obviously the effectiveness of this tip depends on where you live. Most major metropolitan areas have some sort of relatively decent public transit system. However public transit isn't always the cheapest way to get somewhere. In most systems public transit becomes more cost-efficient the further you take it. In Toronto (where I live) it currently costs $2.75 per trip to take any city bus, subway or street car. Therefore a trip to and from your destination would cost a total of $5.50 for one person. You now need to figure out the costs of traveling by car, taxi or whatever other methods are available. A good site to use when calculating taxi fares is TaxiWiz.com. The costs of driving yourself will differ based on each individual car. Don't forget to add any possible parking fees into the equation. Usually for more than one person public transit can actually become a more expensive option, depending on the distance traveled.
  
• Negotiate your insurance rate, or switch insurance companies
  - Car insurance can get very expensive. It always serves you well to try and negotiate a cheaper rate with your insurance company. Give them a call and see if they can work with you to lower your rate. Look at the service they are offering you. If there are any services that you do not need or use, consider getting rid of them if this will reduce your costs. Also, it often pays to shop around. There are many websites that allow you to get an insurance quote online. If your current policy is close to expiring, you should definitely spend some time looking at other companies before you sign an extension. You could also consider raising your deductible. This will often lower your rate. However, you should make sure you have enough money to cover the deductible, just in case.
  
• Look for cheaper gas
  - Sites like GasBuddy.com list various gas prices from around the continent. Take a look at this before you go buy gas. Keep in mind that if cheaper gas is available at a station that is much farther away from you, it may not be worth it once you factor in the cost of driving to that further station.
  
• Fill up before you hit empty
  - Gas prices fluctuate. You don't want to end up buying gas at its most expensive because you've run out. Try and buy gas when you don't need it and when the price is low, so that you don't end up being forced to pay extra.
  
• Look for rebates and tax breaks
  - Some companies offer to pay a part of their employees transportation costs should they live more than a certain distance from the office. Find out if your company does this. Some companies are also willing to subsidize public transportation costs for their employees. In other cases you pay be able to apply for a tax credit if you use enough public transit.
  
• Car pool
  - The cost of driving decreases with the number of people traveling. If any of your coworkers live near you, find out if they would be willing to car pool. There are also many website you can use to find people to car pool with such as eRideShare.com, Carpool.ca, Carpool Connect and Carpoolworld.com.