Wade Spears Riding the RTA versus Driving a Car Every person today uses some sort of transportation to get back and forth to their destinations. Today people either drive a personal car or take public transportation, which in this city is the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) bus system. People choose one or the other of these forms of transportation for many reasons. These reasons are cost, control of the environment, and time and convenience. Each of these forms of transportation has differences and similarities.
The first factor to be assessed is cost. When taking a look into the cost of riding the bus versus driving a personal car, there are many aspects of cost to consider. Either form of transportation has a cost. The only cost involved with riding the bus is the price of bus fare. Each one way trip may be purchased for $1.75. One may choose to purchase a pass for either a week ($15.00) or a month ($55.00) at a time. Some think that it is cheaper to catch the bus. According to the Regional Transit Authority it cost the average person a total of $55.00 to obtain a thirty-one day unlimited bus pass. To drive a personally-owned car, one must add up the cost of gas, insurance, and maintenance per month to be able to compare the actual differences and similarities in cost. According to Gas Buddy, an internet resource, the cheapest gas is $3.11 a gallon. The average driver uses approximately $100.00 a month in gas for daily commutes. Every person that drives a car has to pay insurance. According to Amica Insurance the average cost is $70.00 a month for full coverage. Mary Anne Nelson states that maintenance on a vehicle in an average month is $25.00. This will include keeping the car washed, air in the tires, and windshield-washer fluid filled. These monthly costs do not include the car payment or regular oil changes that are required. The bus costs a total of $55.00 per month, whereas driving a car costs a total of $195.00 per month. Many people catch the bus because they can’t afford to purchase a car or they don’t have a valid driver’s license. The cost of riding the bus is clearly less expensive than driving a car.
The control of environment is the second aspect to be considered. When riding the bus there is no personal control over the environment. There are various problems that include lack of available seats, screaming babies, loud teenagers, and cell phones playing music on speaker mode. There is also the factor of the “creepy-crawly” buddies that tend to hitchhike from person - to seat - to person. In addition, one is exposed to many germs due to the large number of people riding on the bus. Also, when riding the bus, one can’t control whether the person sitting in the next seat believes in taking baths; one could be enduring a very unpleasant, stomach-turning forty minute bus ride. A person also can’t control whether the bus driver is a speed racer from hell or the president of the snail family. When driving a personal car one can control the whole the environment. From the time you unlock your car door, you control how fast you go, the music you listen to, and how loud that music is. If the car stinks, it’s your own fault. You control which individuals you allow inside of your car. In a car you also control how cold or hot the temperature is. A housemate of mine, Charlette Brown, who has her own car, states that she doesn’t want to be bothered with all the different types of personalities who ride the bus. The car is one’s own personal space: a space of comfort, a space that one controls. When it comes to time and convenience the bus and the car both have their good and bad points. The bus is by far the least attractive option when looked at from a time perspective. For a person who lives in Centerville, it takes forty minutes to get to downtown. If I’m going to see my children in Trotwood, that’s an additional thirty
