Living Car Free - How much does the bus cost?

Or subway or commuter train?

Just curious.

Here in Lansing it's a buck a trip, with up to three free transfers. 50 cents for students, seniors and the disabled.

$1.25

bike rack on bus is free

The CTA charges $2.00 without transfer, bus or rail. Not sure how much with transfer cost since I never have to transfer whenever I ride.

1.25 I think 2 hour transfer.
1.75 for rapid or express bus
Bus all have racks

Our employers usually give us a discount anwhere from 5 bucks to 50 percent off a bus pass.

one dollar per ride, free transfers
ticket book: 11 rides for $7, free transfers
Monthly pass: $15
Annual pass: $120

Asheville transit fares (http://www.ashevillenc.gov/residents/transportation/city_bus/default.aspx?id=1006)

My commute to work would cost $2.00 each way. The buses have bike racks if I would need them, but for a 6.3-mile trip it would not be necessary unless I had a breakdown.

Now that the kid drives and wants to drive to school (a mere five miles, but one wouldn't be caught dead on a bike at that age), and the spouse can't bike to work because of distance, route, and job considerations, and I would not buy a third car even if I could afford one which I can't, I feel fully justified in claiming that every time I bike to work I save four dollars, the four dollars I would have had to spend on the only other transportation means available to me, the bus. At that rate of pay, the term "professional bicycle commuter" starts to have real meaning.

Little Rock(CAT Central Arkansas Transit) charges $1.25 + $0.10 for a transfer. No charge for putting a bicycle on the rack.

The racks are new! Less than a month old, so I'm still getting used to having them.

Cash fares are:

1.50 adults
1.00 youth
.75 senior
FREE children 4 and under

Ride cards are available at a discount from the cash fare.

My husband and I have free passes because we are city employees. We buy the youth passes for our oldest at a cost of $280 per year. Our youngest still rides the bus for free.

I would not buy a third car even if I could afford one which I can't, I feel fully justified in claiming that every time I bike to work I save four dollars, the four dollars I would have had to spend on the only other transportation means available to me, the bus. At that rate of pay, the term "professional bicycle commuter" starts to have real meaning.

Me too. My ex-wife pressured me to buy a car till I had her do the math and she realized that my bicycle commuting was the one thing that kept us in the black each month.

here, cash fare is $2.00 but tokens (which are only available at a few heavily used stations) are $1.30 but must be bought in quantities of at least 2.

$1.60, no transfers

Or subway or commuter train?

Just curious.

Here in Lansing it's a buck a trip, with up to three free transfers. 50 cents for students, seniors and the disabled.

Here, it's kinda complicated:

Cash fare (with free transfer) $2.75
Tokens 5 for 1.50, 10 for $21.00
Daily Pass $8.50
Weekly Pass $30
Monthly Pass $99.75

There are some discount pass deals, and passes can be used by two or more people just not at the same time.

*edit* seniors, students (up to grade 12) and children have different fares.

I was really suprised how cheap it is here. Only $1 for the regular bus service (which has very limited routes) and only $2 for a reserved ride where they go pick you up and go wherever you want outside of the regular routes. Kids are free.

Monthly passes are $30 and a semester long pass is $50.

$1.75 with a 1 hour transfer, Milwaukee, WI. Most other fare discounts are gone, but the Colleges in the area have a bus pass system that includes it into the fees and is good for the semester at a time.

On the CTA, if you use a fare card, Bus is $1.75 with two free transfers. Trains are $2 with two free transfers.

If you use a Chicagocard it's all $1.75 with two transfers.

But they're talking about jacking it way the hell up, a monthly card would go from $75 to $122.
Good thing I have a Bicycle!

$1.50/trip, so not worthwhile. :o
But, with a community college ID it's $.25, definitely worthwhile. Guess where I'm enrolling? :D

Wow, you guys have low fares.

Transit pass:: $71.25/month
Cash fare: $3.00*
Ticket fare (pre-purchase in packs of 10): $1.90*
Light Rail: $2.25*

*Any form of payment is valid for unlimited transfers - included return trips - within a 2 hour period.

All in CAD, of course... not that it matters much these days, and all those are regular adult fair. As you can tell from the fare structure they really want people to buy tickets in advance.

Capital Metro, Austin

Single bus ride $0.50, 1-day pass (good for 24 hours) $1.00
Express (suburban commuter) routes are double.

Now that the kid drives and wants to drive to school (a mere five miles, but one wouldn't be caught dead on a bike at that age), and the spouse can't bike to work because of distance, route, and job considerations, and I would not buy a third car even if I could afford one which I can't, I feel fully justified in claiming that every time I bike to work I save four dollars, the four dollars I would have had to spend on the only other transportation means available to me, the bus. At that rate of pay, the term "professional bicycle commuter" starts to have real meaning.

Many parents would tell the kid, "since we can't afford to buy you an extra car, you're not driving, period". Or tell the kid they can drive if they pay all of the insurance, gas, loan interest, and depreciation on the car they use. I don't intend to ever allow a child of mine to drive daily unless s/he pays all the costs himself.

Wow, you guys have low fares.

Transit pass:: $71.25/month
Cash fare: $3.00*
Ticket fare (pre-purchase in packs of 10): $1.90*
Light Rail: $2.25*

*Any form of payment is valid for unlimited transfers - included return trips - within a 2 hour period.

All in CAD, of course... not that it matters much these days, and all those are regular adult fair. As you can tell from the fare structure they really want people to buy tickets in advance.

$1.50 or $1.60 with transfer. Express routes are same price. Monthly pass can be had for $17.50.

But, Ottawa prices are for a service you can genuinely use. You can reasonably commute from the Quebec side and from distant suburbs on the Ontario side. In downtown Ottawa, a transit pass is a reasonable way to travel for a month.

By contrast, in my city there are 3 buses to the suburbs (where a great many folks work...) in the morning and 3 in the evening. I pay $1.60 to get there in the morning, but it takes me a whole hour to travel 6 miles. I guess you get what you pay for....

In city it's either 1.25 (off-peak) or 1.50 (peak). To travel outside the city limits (Seattle) it's $1.50-2.00 and express intercity busses are 2.50.

Not too bad, but I really think they should just make the busses free if they really want to encourage people to drive less.

Bus: 5.34 euros (=7.18 USD) for ten rides, one transfer allowed. No bike racks.

Train: 30.40 euros (=40.89 USD) for a 30-day pass that allows me to go to the village I work in, which is about 10 kilometers away, and return. Bikes allowed on board at no extra charge.

1.25 without a transfer.

Out of curiosity, in the cities that limit the number of transfers, how is that policed? Here you pay your fair (cash it tix) and get a printed transfer with the time on it. You keep that to (a) show drivers of other busses, or (b) show fare inspectors.

Many parents would tell the kid, "since we can't afford to buy you an extra car, you're not driving, period". Or tell the kid they can drive if they pay all of the insurance, gas, loan interest, and depreciation on the car they use. I don't intend to ever allow a child of mine to drive daily unless s/he pays all the costs himself.

+1

Out of curiosity, in the cities that limit the number of transfers, how is that policed? Here you pay your fair (cash it tix) and get a printed transfer with the time on it. You keep that to (a) show drivers of other busses, or (b) show fare inspectors.
Here we used to have the two transfers within two hours system. Transfers were strips of paper. You had to ask for a transfer when you paid the fare, maybe for an extra nickel. Transfers looked sort of like this:



2nd Transfer
-------------
A
-------------
5 AM
6 AM
7 AM
8 AM
...
9 PM
10 PM
11 PM


The A was the code letter for the transfers that day. The driver would tear the strip so it showed the time of expiration. If the transfer was used once, the driver would tear the "2nd transfer" off, so you could only use it one more time.

The actual cost per ride is much higher than what everyone listed. The true cost of the New York City subway is over $5.00 per ride. You pay about $1.67 with the 10 MetroCard discount. Every transit system is subsidized including the bus.

Every transit system is subsidized including the bus.
Also including freeways and city streets, of course.

RTD is $1.50 local, $2.75 Express, $3.75 regional.

Bus passes range from $54 a month to $135 a month, depending on how far you want to be able to go with it.

Bike racks and transfers are free.

Bikes are also allowed on the light rail during all hours, but you have to apply and take a test online. (Takes 5 minutes)

Out of curiosity, in the cities that limit the number of transfers, how is that policed? Here you pay your fair (cash it tix) and get a printed transfer with the time on it. You keep that to (a) show drivers of other busses, or (b) show fare inspectors.
It's automated over here. They sell you a ten-ride ticket, which you put into a slot every time you board a bus. A machine determines whether you are entitled to a transfer or not.

It's automated over here. They sell you a ten-ride ticket, which you put into a slot every time you board a bus. A machine determines whether you are entitled to a transfer or not.

Same idea here, only the transfers are $.25, not free like I posted previously. I have not been on the bus since I bought the bike, forgot the details.

/No way I'm getting back on the bus this winter either.
//shiat biking it on the ice.
///hooray independance!

Single fare 3,6 EUR if paid to the driver, 3,2 EUR if purchased prior to trip. Unlimited transfers for 1,5 hours (I think). Valid in Helsinki and 3 neighbourging cities, in pretty much all buses and local trains, trams, subway and ferry.

We have a fare card system for frequent customers, you can either have cash in the card, or you can buy unlimited travel time from two weeks to one year. Or both. One month is about 75 EUR, longer periods are cheaper per day.

Fares within one city are cheaper. There is also coverage for a couple more remote areas beyond the 4 cities, those fares are more expensive.

Currently, 1 EUR is about 1,3 USD.

--J

$1.70-$2.00, depending on distance. Transfers are unlimited within a 2 hour timeframe, are good for bus or light rail, and reverse direction is ok. Bikes are free. Most people around here have the perception that the fares (http://www.trimet.org/fares/index.htm) are getting too expensive.

Here we used to have the two transfers within two hours system. Transfers were strips of paper. You had to ask for a transfer when you paid the fare, maybe for an extra nickel. Transfers looked sort of like this:

We used to have tear-off strips as well, now the fare box prints them out. I don't recall when the unlimited transfers things went through, but I remember the old transfers had a direction and route number on them, so they could not be used for return trips. Overall the new system makes things simpler for the bus drivers - as long as the transfer isn't expired, its good. No tearing off, no direction check, etc.

The only thing about our system that confuses newbies is that you need to keep your transfer on articulated buses as proof of payment.

About 60 US cents, with no transfers.

Out of curiosity, in the cities that limit the number of transfers, how is that policed? Here you pay your fair (cash it tix) and get a printed transfer with the time on it. You keep that to (a) show drivers of other busses, or (b) show fare inspectors.
Here it's all electromagical. you stick your transfer slip in a slot on the fare box and it goes in, comes back out with remianing time and number of transfers printed on the back of it.

In the old system the driver punched transfer slips with a hole puncher.

You can transfer 3 times within 2 hours. You can interrupt a rip: exit the bus, do some shopping, then get back on another bus going in the same direction with your free transfer.

Interesting. So far the cheapest full fare is $1US with free transfers. The most expensive is Helsinki at 3.6 euros, also free transfers.

But Helsinki sounds nice because you can transfer to a ferry. :)

$2.75 would not be bad for an all day pass. But the catch. Bike racks fill up. Some routes don't run more than once per hour. So should you have too many bikes boarding you might have to wait a couple hours in order to catch a bus. One time that catch caused me to miss the last bus and had to ride a long distance home in the dark/ without a light.

I was really suprised how cheap it is here. Only $1 for the regular bus service (which has very limited routes) and only $2 for a reserved ride where they go pick you up and go wherever you want outside of the regular routes. Kids are free.

Monthly passes are $30 and a semester long pass is $50.
One nice thing about the Car State is that every single one of our 86 counties has a public transit system.

$2.75 would not be bad for an all day pass. But the catch. Bike racks fill up. Some routes don't run more than once per hour. So should you have too many bikes boarding you might have to wait a couple hours in order to catch a bus. One time that catch caused me to miss the last bus and had to ride a long distance home in the dark/ without a light.

That is why I am getting a Brompton...I caught a bus in Charleston, SC a couple of weeks ago, rode it to downtown and rode around for a bit. I was waiting at the bus stop for the trip back and the racks were full on 2 of the buses and the last bus canceled. A long ride back thru areas that probably shouldn't be ridden thru.

Aaron:)

Yeah, no spaces left on the bus bike rack, I've had that. Most of the bikes get loaded on at the university area stops, so I ride a little bit upstream and catch the bus a stop or two earlier.

Interesting. So far the cheapest full fare is $1US with free transfers. The most expensive is Helsinki at 3.6 euros, also free transfers.

But Helsinki sounds nice because you can transfer to a ferry. :)

That is one of the issues, how far can you go for your money, a system where you have a city of 50,000 that has 4 bus routes, with a bus every hour or two isn't always a good deal, even at $1/Ride. Where as a system with a lot of routes, and frequent service, can be an excellent deal at twice the price. Now also part of the equation is traffic patterns and parking rates, all day gridlock, expensive gas and even more expensive parking can mean that $3/ride is still an excellent deal.

Problem in most of the US, is that traffic is good, gas has been historically almost free, and parking is often free. As much as Americans complain about expensive gas, there are a lot of countries, where if you saw gas for $6/Gallon you would hurry to get the car, to fill up, because your not likely to see it that cheap again for a long time.

From the one stop in the town I live in (in the States) to the nearest town is 13miles and the bus costs $3.20. In town rates are $1.20 per mile (the stops are spaced one per mile). I bet it comes as no surprise that the bus generally runs empty (thus making higher rates necessary so less riders can still pay the costs, it is not subsidized. Yes, this is real and an example why people really should take ECON 101).

From the one stop in the town I live in (in the States) to the nearest town is 13miles and the bus costs $3.20. In town rates are $1.20 per mile (the stops are spaced one per mile). I bet it comes as no surprise that the bus generally runs empty (thus making higher rates necessary so less riders can still pay the costs, it is not subsidized. Yes, this is real and an example why people really should take ECON 101).

Are you saying in China, the bus costs $3.20 USD?? That's incredible.

I can see why everyone rides a bicycle.

Are you saying in China, the bus costs $3.20 USD?? That's incredible.

I can see why everyone rides a bicycle.
No, I am talking about my home in Northern California, USA. I Live in Hornbrook, which is near Yreka CA. I have been living in China for the last year and plan to be here for one more year. A similar distance here in China would probably cost 1-7RMB or .15-1 USD

Like I have said often, here in China there is a big national push to get people off of bicycles and toward the use of petrol. In some cities they are starting to appply the anti bicycle measures to the electrics also. This will help speed people in the process of increasing petrol consumption.

Interesting. So far the cheapest full fare is $1US with free transfers. The most expensive is Helsinki at 3.6 euros, also free transfers.

But Helsinki sounds nice because you can transfer to a ferry. :)
Some clarification: the 3,6e price is for a greater area, including Helsinki and 3 neighbouring cities. Fares for a trip within any one of the four cities are lower. In Helsinki, that fare is about 2e I believe.

And the ferry is great. Too bad it only serves one destination.

--J

Yesterday I used the bus to attend a class out beyond the last train stop.
35 cents with train transfer, and the bus driver gave me a transfer that was still
good after class so I got 2 bus trips for the 35 cents extra. I was thinking of
keeping my beater bike out there at the last train stop but the roads and drivers out in the suburbs are so bike hostile and the bus so cheap I might just bus it
for each class. Another thing, a class mate left with a friend in a car while I went to the bus stop. The class mate was getting a ride to the train station, we both got on the same train so the car ride didn't reduce her trip time compared to mine.

That is why I am getting a Brompton...I caught a bus in Charleston, SC a couple of weeks ago, rode it to downtown and rode around for a bit. I was waiting at the bus stop for the trip back and the racks were full on 2 of the buses and the last bus canceled. A long ride back thru areas that probably shouldn't be ridden thru.

Aaron:)
The problem with bus racks being full. It was winter so it got dark early. I did not bring night gear, never suspecting a 2 PM return could become a night ride. I otherwise would have either just planned on a night ride and brought what I need and just forgot the bus entirely. I got home about 1/2 hour after dark with minimal night gear. And it was cold and damp . Several cars displayed their ire at not being well lite. Was it my fault.

Wow, you guys have low fares.

Transit pass:: $71.25/month
Cash fare: $3.00*
Ticket fare (pre-purchase in packs of 10): $1.90*
Light Rail: $2.25*

*Any form of payment is valid for unlimited transfers - included return trips - within a 2 hour period.

All in CAD, of course... not that it matters much these days, and all those are regular adult fair. As you can tell from the fare structure they really want people to buy tickets in advance.

Wow! More than Toronto, even. Here the cash fare is $2.25, though it'll be going up ro $2.50 on July 1 (gotta pay for all those new buses!) Tickets are $2 (going up to $2.25). Free transfers within 2 hours.

The problem with bus racks being full. It was winter so it got dark early. I did not bring night gear, never suspecting a 2 PM return could become a night ride. I otherwise would have either just planned on a night ride and brought what I need and just forgot the bus entirely. I got home about 1/2 hour after dark with minimal night gear. And it was cold and damp . Several cars displayed their ire at not being well lite. Was it my fault.
In winter I always throw my litle LEDs in my backpack. It gets dark so early! That's the one thing I really don't like about winter.

Bike racks on local buses were full sometimes this winter. That surprised me because I'm used to being the only cyclist around in midwinter. My "club of one member" is getting bigger!