Last month, I challenged myself to drive with ninja-like tactics to get as many miles per gallon that my four cylinder, ‘04 Honda Accord could get.  It gets 32 Hwy and 23 City and about 28-29 combined.  With my “ninja driving,” I got around 33 mpg combined!  Not bad!  With gas prices rising, this is a sensible thing to do in order to save extra money/go more places. With a gallon of gas up to $3.70, that roughly translates to 11 cents a mile (3.70 dollars per gallon divided by 33 mpg).

How much is it per mile to take the Metrolink and how does that factor into my overall cost per mile?  Well, to take the Metrolink from my home to work, it’s four dollars round trip.  Now, here’s my dilemma:  do I figure out the cost per mile as if I was driving from work or do I compute it as actual distance on the Metrolink?  The Metro is a bit more direct than driving, but I don’t think it’s not too far off.  Since I drive to the Metro station, I’ll compute it from the driving distance from the Metro station.  That sounds like a reasonable compromise.  21.7 miles each way from the station versus 24.5 miles from my house.  At 43.4 miles, the cost per mile is 9 cents (4/43.4).  It would take $4.77 in gas to travel 43.4 miles (43.4*.11).  It would cost 5.39 to drive from my house (49 miles * .11).  Factor in that I travel 4.4 miles round trip to and from the station, an extra 48 cents, it costs 4.48 (metro fare + (4.4*.11)) round trip:  a savings of 91 cents!  Basically, I save a buck, every time I take the Metrolink.  That’s easy math.  Take the Metro 10 times a month, I save 120 bucks a year.    If I continue to ninja drive and take the Metro, then I’m easily saving over $256 a year doing this (If gas stays at 3.70 per gallon).  That’s basically a car payment for me.

But I think it’s more than that.  Not only am I helping the environment by not driving my car, I’m also getting more exercise (I walk a fair distance from the metro to work), and plus, I’m extending the life of my car and keeping it’s value up.  It’s a win/win situation!