The hidden costs of driving

Last Modified: Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 5:26 p.m.

When deciding holiday travel plans, many people opt to take a car, and many of them resolve to drive because they believe it is cheaper. Most driving costs go unnoticed because of unseen correlations between miles driven and car expenses, making other transportation options more economical.

The main cost considered in driving a car is the cost of gas. It has been constantly rising for almost a decade and has taken another spike in the past month. Gas prices alone have convinced many drivers to find alternative transportation.

Currently, the average cost of regular unleaded gas in Florida is above $3 per gallon. If we assume that a car gets 30 miles per gallon (which is probably much better than a car will average in holiday traffic) and divide that by the average cost of gas, we get about 10 cents per mile.

So, on an 85-mile trip from Tampa to Orlando, the round trip cost is about $17. It sounds cheap enough and might appear to be the cheapest option.

Maintenance and depreciation

However, anyone who owns a car can attest that the more you drive, the more likely a car will need maintenance. The American Automobile Association estimates that when the cost of maintenance is broken down into average miles driven, it comes out to an average of 4.56 cents per mile.

Add the cost per mile of maintenance to the cost of gas, and the new round-trip total from Tampa to Orlando nears $25.

Also, the resale value of a car depreciates with time and miles. The more miles a car has, the less money that car will fetch upon resale. According to last year's AAA reports, on average, a car depreciates 23 cents per mile. Your money is not lost immediately, and thus goes unnoticed. Nonetheless, the capital worth is lost immediately, and this is money that you will lose upon resale.

The short round trip from Tampa to Orlando is now close to $64!

Lastly, there are other minimal costs of depreciation, such as wear-and-tear on tires and other engine fluids. If we incorporate these as well, the total exceeds $65.

That's an average estimate. If holiday or morning traffic is heavy, the cost goes up. Also, if your car is an SUV or has fewer than 15,000 miles, you could add $20 to the price tag. There may be a price for parking as well.

By all means, for a sedan filled with a family of four, driving makes sense this holiday season. Yet, for a vehicle with only one occupant, this is exceptionally expensive.

The volume of travelers every day of the year between Tampa and Orlando is significant. A high-speed rail would serve to the benefit of many in an increasingly gridlocked Interstate 4.

Rail is cheaper

The estimated ticket cost for the Tampa-Orlando high-speed rail is $15 to $30, depending on the frequency of the ticket purchase and nature of the trip. At most, rail travelers would save $40 per round trip. At minimum, they'd save about $10 and the time and frustration of holiday (or morning) traffic.

With the cost of driving so high for low-occupancy vehicles, it is no surprise that the Wednesday before this year's Thanksgiving was the busiest day in Amtrak's history, and the Acela Express trains in the Northeast saw ridership increase by 12.9 percent over 2009.

Unseen driving costs continually impose upon individuals and on the region while other transportation options are practical. A quality high-speed rail line can become a quicker and cheaper option to taking a car. It could save commuters hundreds of dollars a year, reduce future congestion on our freeways, encourage sustainable land use, help curb our dependence on foreign oil, and create jobs.

Unfortunately, a significant number of individuals and politicians do not see the expensive cost involved in driving and in continuing to solely support our highway system.

I urge Florida decision-makers to consider the region's residents and future. Accept federal high-speed rail money and work to install transit feeder systems in Tampa and Orlando.

Patrick Gittard is the transportation issue associate for Florida PIRG. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization works on public-interest issues such as consumer rights and public transportation.

This story appeared in print on page A15


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