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RIDESHARE - Commuter calculator

Calculate | Environmental costs | Track your savings | Ideas to offset driving costs

The American Automobile Association (AAA) calculates the 2011 average cost of driving a mid-size passenger car 15,000 miles a year at 57.3 cents per mile. This includes both your operating and ownership costs. If you commute to work by car you can figure about $58 in total vehicle expenses per 100 miles.

Calculate your commuting costs and environmental impact

(Tip: Use tab key to go from field to field.)

Note: The commuter calculator may not work in all browsers.

Environmental costs

Ever wonder what it costs the environment for you to drive your car? The Department of Energy (DOE), Alternative Fuels Data Center calculates that for each gallon of gasoline burned, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted into our air.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) household emissions calculator measures household emissions (including vehicle emissions) based on zip codes. The average amount of carbon dioxide emitted per vehicle in a year is 12,100 pounds. Include waste, heat, and electricity and that total goes up to 41,500 pounds per year.

Track your modes and environmental savings

After you are registered in the Rideshare/bike buddy program, you can track your commute each day and run a report that computes your cost savings, pollution and greenhouse gas reductions.

• Log in with your email address and password and click on 'Track Your Commute Monthly'.

Ideas/ways to offset driving costs:

• Carpool to save costs of fuel, tires, oil changes, and other vehicle maintenance.
• Drive a vehicle that retains a high resale value.
• Reduce your insurance costs. Insurance rates are calculated on your driving record, type of car, annual mileage, and daily work mileage.
  • Carpool to reduce annual and average daily work mileage.
  • Drive safely, adhere to speed limits, drive defensively to avoid accidents.
  • Call your agent for a quotation on competitive and comparative rates on cars before you buy.
• Save money for a down payment to reduce finance charges, length of loans, and lease rates.
• Purchase cars with longer warranties and less frequent service requirements.

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Questions about the content of this page, contact:
Karen Schmiechen, karen.schmiechen@dot.wi.gov
Last modified: September 27, 2011