Car Pool

Recently, I put forward another step towards being green conscious; this doesn’t mean environmental consciousness (which already I am) but 'green' paper consciousness (for nerds it called money). The company provided transport charge is 1250 bucks a month which is very high as I live within 10 Kms from the company.

So I decided to weigh the options that I have:-

1. Use the public transport

The BMTC bus 501 can drop me within 1 Km of my company in 9 bucks and the BMTC stop is hardly 100m from my house. So, considering that I go office daily, 22 days a month; I will spend

8*22*2 = 352/- a month

This is one-fourth of what I spend when I use company transport. This is the greener side of the story, it looks pretty impressive. But when you actually experience it, the whole point of saving paper becomes nullified.

First, you have to wait for the bus; it may range from twenty minutes to forty minutes which is total waste of time. Remember our company charges a lot for us to the client and also it’s not fun to waste time at bus stop and then work late hours.

Second, most of the time you have to go standing in the bus (not so indifferent when you catch company shuttle service) and the whole water that you spent bathing in morning goes waste, so does the laundry water (remember I am environmental conscious also). No wonder you look like a blue collar factory worker coming out of the factory working hard all day with old leaky machines, after your BMTC ride is over. I don’t prefer to go to my workplace like this.

2. Use Auto-pool

I had my three flat-mates (one actually left now) who used company transport; together we were paying 1250*3 = 3750 per month. We could have hired an auto for pick and drop. Optimistically (*considering the auto meter is only 10% faster and will not ask extra bucks), we together will spend:-

75*2*22 = 3300

This is not a huge saving, additionally, finding an auto which will go to the city outskirts (with all *conditions apply) is very daunting. Also, I hate the noise pollution auto creates apart from the obvious rash driving.

3. Car pool

This, in my opinion, is the best way to commute; provided somebody is ready to give a ride to a person like me (who doesn’t even own a bicycle). We are three people out of which only I don’t have a car (lucky me – hassle free ride). If you work out the cost estimates, assuming the worst car efficiency of 10Km per liters (simplifying calculation as one side travel equals one liters of petrol), per month petrol expenses:-

2*22*50 = 2200

For single person it comes out to be approximately 700 bucks (Save the holy money). Now comparing it with the company provided transport ride:-

• You know well in advance when you will get picked up (missed call when the person starts from home)

• You don’t have to share the one-half seats of Swaraj Mazda

• Bumps are not scary anymore (still remember my head bumping the roof on every bump in Swaraj Mazda – last seat)

• You avoid pseudo-racing with colleagues in other bus (Did I forgot to tell you the how much is the extra premium for accidental insurance)

• You can listen to your favourite songs (that too clearly)

• You avoid the pollution and extreme weather

I have experienced all three and therefore I can safely conclude here that Car pool has been the best experience for me.