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With companies forcing their workers to come back to the office, you can say “goodbye” to all of those savings you had when you were commuting to work. With inflation running rampant and even oil prices going up, it means it’s time to look for ways to keep cutting down on costs during the dreadful commute. Regardless of how much you have to travel for work, there’s no doubt about it that it’s going to be pretty expensive. So, here are some handy ways of cutting down that cost for your work-related trips.
1. Are You Able to Utilize Public Transit?
This is obviously going to depend on where you live, as suburban and rural areas, especially within the United States, lack sufficient public transport. In fact, only the major cities are going to offer this. So, is this something that’s in your area? Most large cities have public transit systems that can get you from your house to your job without requiring a car. This saves on fuel costs, eliminates parking fees, and cuts down on maintenance and insurance costs. Sometimes, it may be a short walk away from a bus stop or a subway station, but all of these can help when it comes to cutting down on costs.
2. Look into Ride Sharing
Traffic is expensive for commuters, both in terms of time spent and fuel burned. Cutting the number of vehicles on the road through carpooling can significantly reduce those costs. Ridesharing also has environmental benefits: Fewer cars means less pollution. Find a coworker or friend who lives close to your home and consider carpooling to cut your commuting expenses.
But it’s not just carpooling, as this may not be an option for everyone, as some coworkers may just live too far away. In cases like this, you can always look into ride-sharing apps instead. But sometimes, even in those, accidents can happen. So, it’s important that you have an understanding legal fees for an Uber accident if they were to occur.
3. Consider Alternative Route
Do you have no choice but to drive? Yeah, sometimes it can happen, especially if you just live way too far. Spending time in the car can be an expensive and frustrating way to get to work. However, you can cut your commuting costs by taking different routes and using alternative modes of transportation. For example, avoiding left turns can save money by reducing fuel consumption and stopping unnecessary idling. Sometimes, there may be highways or streets that are less in use or maybe less congested during rush hour. So this could very well be an option.
Try and Plan Ahead
In the end, sometimes, there are sadly no alternatives at all. But you can still make the best out of this situation though. You can try to plan ahead by leaving before or after rush hour. Sure, it’s not ideal, but you would be saving some fuel and not having to deal with the stress of traffic. On top of that, you can also look into credit cards and perks offered at gas stations. Sometimes, you can save on fuel.
