NBC

North Park Family Saves Big Using Mass Transit for a Decade

A North Park family spent a decade to answer the question: How much would you save if you swapped your car for mass transit?

Cars and homes are generally our biggest expenses, and one family made it a point to only use one car, forgoing a second to bike or bus.

John Anderson has biked to work every day for the past 10 years, and his wife either taken the bus or biked as well.

Anderson is a certified public account, so he’s always tracking expenses and finding where he can save.

His family estimated that it costs about $9,000 a year to own and maintain a car, based of numbers from the American Automobile Association.

Anderson took a third off the total because they’re more likely to get a used car. He then added $200 per month for parking downtown, where his wife works.

“If you add those two up over the 10 years, I figure about $84,000 would be the savings. Again, that’s on the conservative side; it might be between $120,000 to $150,000 if you’re using the AAA estimate,” Anderson told NBC 7.

Anderson’s wife also got a free transit pass from her employer, and they always walk their kids to and from school every day.

Anderson said being close to mass transit is his number one priority for when they’re deciding where to live.

To learn more about Anderson’s journey with mass transit, click here.

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