Car or a bus?

[Star_Fox]

I finished Highschool about a month ago and I recently applied to a college thats relatively far from my home....Fortunately,

I was able to pass my driving test and my dad is willing to give me his car. I don't know if its worth having to drive to

college everyday because of gas, insurance, and the risk of having an accident, etc. On the other hand, I looked up

bus routes and found out that it takes 5 bus trips to get from home to college and then back. So considering that a

bus trip is $1.50 each, which is about $7.50 a day, its a lot cheaper than driving a car....

 

Now I gotta ask, why are so many driving to college instead of taking the bus? The ups and downs are debatable

but I find the bus to be a lot cheaper and more affordable. :?

[Wizz]

Buy a buspass if your going to transfer alot. I go to school on bus and the fare is 1.50, I need to take make 2 transfers to get school and 2 to get back home so in total 6$ per weekday. They sell 30day passes for 35$ for those who use the bus alot so it's a blessing, 6x30= 180-35= 145$ saved.

 

Only down side to a bus is waiting and transfers can eat up alot of time, around 6am to get to school is roughly 30 mins, but going home at around 5-6 it becomes and 1h30m to get home. Even a simple 10 min drive can be an hour if it's past 6pm, 2 hours if past 9pm.

[Star_Fox]

Buy a buspass if your going to transfer alot. I go to school on bus and the fare is 1.50, I need to take make 2 transfers to get school and 2 to get back home so in total 6$ per weekday. They sell 30day passes for 35$ for those who use the bus alot so it's a blessing, 6x30= 180-35= 145$ saved.

 

Only down side to a bus is waiting and transfers can eat up alot of time, around 6am to get to school is roughly 30 mins, but going home at around 5-6 it becomes and 1h30m to get home. Even a simple 10 min drive can be an hour if it's past 6pm, 2 hours if past 9pm.

 

Yeah that's what I'm kind of concerned about the bus, but I heard that there are buses that skip several passes that others have to go through which might save time

and I am applying for a student pass if its feasible with my grades and academics. >.>

[Sy_Accursed]

Loads of people drive because by and large buses suck

They are often over-crowed.

They usually have some loud or annoying or irritating on them (eg screaming kids etc)

They are fairly unreliable eg they can drive past stops, they can be late, they can be early, they can break down and not appear at all

You have to adhere to their timetable and routes creating a much longer journey than strictly necessary.

 

If you drive outside major road accidents/extreme weather it is all on YOU if you get there or not and generally you can take a much faster more direct journey. I mean if you're late and you drove its because YOU didnt plan ahead for traffic, if you break down its because YOU haven't maintained your car etc. For the majority of people yes it costs more but it is FAR less stressful to know you are in complete control of far more of the variables of your journey.

[DerekZoolandah]

You should start biking there. That doesn't cost anything except the bike's initial cost.

[Giordano]

A car by far. Not only your trip is private (blast your own music, don't worry about overcrowding) but you can easily change your route. Need to go to the store? Friends calling you over? With a bus you'll need to return home THEN head to wherever you need.

[Kaphias]

You should start biking there. That doesn't cost anything except the bike's initial cost.

I'm getting the idea by the number of transfers that it would be quite a long ride.

As Paw said, it really come down to your tolerance level. Do you mind standing on a bus with crying kids for a couple hours every day? Lucky for me, my ride is only ~20 mins, and we have one of the best bus systems in the country.

[Myweponsg00d]

It sounds like the bus would really take a long time...I dont know how it works where you live, but making 5 transfers would probably end up taking like an hour in waiting times...

 

So youre basically wasting an hour each way...two hours a day. And I dont know about you, but I wouldnt be able to do any kind of work on the bus. So youre gonna be wasting a lot of time that you will really need to study.

 

TBH I would live near school if you can. It might be the most expensive option, but in reality it saves a lot of time and hassle. First year of college can be a pain, and I dont know if I wouldve made it if I had a long ass drive every day...

[Lenticular_J]

Because the buses in my town (excluding the ones at Texas Tech) drive from the east to the west and then disappear.

 

And you will never meet the love of your life on a bus. Ever. Even if she was there, she'd probably be getting perved on by around eighteen odd people. Oh, and if the bus driver goes slower than 55 miles per hour, it explodes.

 

Wait. Those are stereotypes. Buses can be okay! Test them out first, though. How far is this that almost ten dollars a day is cheaper than a car? You'll be on the bus for a while. Plus, if you make friends, it's far more fun to actually be able to hang out with them after class instead of rushing to your bus. You're trapping yourself with a time constraint.

[Romy]

Because the buses in my town (excluding the ones at Texas Tech) drive from the east to the west and then disappear.

 

And you will never meet the love of your life on a bus. Ever. Even if she was there, she'd probably be getting perved on by around eighteen odd people. Oh, and if the bus driver goes slower than 55 miles per hour, it explodes.

 

Wait. Those are stereotypes. Buses can be okay! Test them out first, though. How far is this that almost ten dollars a day is cheaper than a car? You'll be on the bus for a while. Plus, if you make friends, it's far more fun to actually be able to hang out with them after class instead of rushing to your bus. You're trapping yourself with a time constraint.

 

I second this entire post. ;)

[Saru Inc]

A car by far. Not only your trip is private (blast your own music, don't worry about overcrowding) but you can easily change your route. Need to go to the store? Friends calling you over? With a bus you'll need to return home THEN head to wherever you need.

 

 

 

YERP.

 

Also, unless you get into a lot of accidents... Like.... me... :( then insurance shouldn't be that much. But buses should be only used if you have no car option. The benefits are too much to list, but for one, it's also a lot faster to get to school. Wake up late and miss the bus? Etc.

[Kenshinjapan]

Depends where you live really. I know of some places where a bus runs every five minutes while it takes an hour to come back around in my city. I used to take the bus home from school when I was in highschool and didn't have a car. It took me 90 minutes to get home at the cost of $1. However, I could actually walk home in about 80 minutes which is pathetic.

[Lenticular_J]

Depends where you live really. I know of some places where a bus runs every five minutes while it takes an hour to come back around in my city. I used to take the bus home from school when I was in highschool and didn't have a car. It took me 90 minutes to get home at the cost of $1. However, I could actually walk home in about 80 minutes which is pathetic.

That's why we usually ride our horses.

[muggiwhplar]

Hooray for living on campus :D

[Faux]

i take the TTC (public transit here in tdot) to class. my school is deep downtown so driving is definitely not a choice. i also opted out of living in a cramp tiny boarding room with bad food :P

[weezcake]

I used to drive the buses around during college and most of the buses run every 15 minutes.. convenient for a round trip from your apartment to campus and back, but I would never take the bus to campus then transfer to get somewhere. Although I love mass transit, biking was much quicker - I couldn't imagine waiting on five buses to get me where I wanted to go o.o

[Kaphias]

Depends where you live really. I know of some places where a bus runs every five minutes while it takes an hour to come back around in my city. I used to take the bus home from school when I was in highschool and didn't have a car. It took me 90 minutes to get home at the cost of $1. However, I could actually walk home in about 80 minutes which is pathetic.

That's why we usually ride our horses.

Polar bears > horses

[Giordano]

Depends where you live really. I know of some places where a bus runs every five minutes while it takes an hour to come back around in my city. I used to take the bus home from school when I was in highschool and didn't have a car. It took me 90 minutes to get home at the cost of $1. However, I could actually walk home in about 80 minutes which is pathetic.

That's why we usually ride our horses.

Polar bears > horses

Gotcha.

 

Second runner up would be Grizzly Bears.

[Star_Fox]

Depends where you live really. I know of some places where a bus runs every five minutes while it takes an hour to come back around in my city. I used to take the bus home from school when I was in highschool and didn't have a car. It took me 90 minutes to get home at the cost of $1. However, I could actually walk home in about 80 minutes which is pathetic.

That's why we usually ride our horses.

Polar bears > horses

Gotcha.

 

Second runner up would be Grizzly Bears.

 

:lol: :thumbup:

[Orpheus]

Depends where you live really. I know of some places where a bus runs every five minutes while it takes an hour to come back around in my city. I used to take the bus home from school when I was in highschool and didn't have a car. It took me 90 minutes to get home at the cost of $1. However, I could actually walk home in about 80 minutes which is pathetic.

That's why we usually ride our horses.

Polar bears > horses

Gotcha.

 

Second runner up would be Grizzly Bears.

 

:lol: :thumbup:

 

Don't forget to arm them with rocket launchers and girls, guns, cars, and explosions.

[re4p3r1]

get a motorcycle, way cheaper than a car in every way, insurance, purchasing one, maintenance and the mpg's on motorcycles are really good, like 40-70 mpg

[magekillr]

Any particular reason that you're not living on campus or in an apartment near the campus? Is it a community college?

[Sy_Accursed]

get a motorcycle, way cheaper than a car in every way, insurance, purchasing one, maintenance and the mpg's on motorcycles are really good, like 40-70 mpg

 

Yeah this is all true but you fail to consider other factors.

 

Helmet hair (for logner haired/styled males and women especially)

Need to get an entire biking outfit (leathers)

Storing/carrying around said biker gear all day; leathers helmet etc take up alot of space

Practicality of carrying stuff, be it books or friends or w/e

Higher accident rate

Higher fatality rate in accidents

 

etc.

[obfuscator]

I think the main benefit to having a car is time and flexibility.

 

For example, I considered buying a car to travel to my last internship, but opted for the bus instead. Where I spent 3 hours a day on the bus, I would have barely spent an hour in the car. Furthermore, the bus fare of $6 a day is more than the (anticipated) $4 I would have spent on gas.

 

Really, it's maintenance and insurance that end up making car ownership such a pain in the ass. In my bracket (and I'm sure many here can sympathize) insurance costs are through the roof.

[Sy_Accursed]

Insurance is one of those pain in the ass things.

 

Not having no claims makes it high

Being classed as a new driver makes it high

Being classed as a young driver makes it high

Driving an older car makes it higher

 

But its one of those things you kinda battle through and eventually it drops hugely. Like my brother's monthly insurance payment = Mother's yearly payment (so mum pays 12 times less)

If you never get a car because of insurance you're never gonna get cheap insurance.