There has been a lot of debate lately over several proposed bills in Congress.  These bills, known as “Cash for Clunkers” aim to stimulate new car sales while retiring older vehicles.  The basic idea behind these bills sounds good, get older cars off the road and replace them with more fuel efficient vehicles.

This seems logical and makes sense on the surface, but let’s dig deeper.  First, I have been arguing for fewer cars on the roads.  This plan will not reduce traffic in any way and will encourage more car sales instead of increased alternative transportation.

Second, it rewards drivers of gas guzzlers.  This does not offer anything to the drivers who have already made the right decision and bought a more fuel efficient car.  So everyone that already cares about the planet, you’re out of luck.

Third, what about the waste from junking all of these “clunkers”?  They will try to set up a program to strip and salvage many of the parts from these retired vehicles, but it still seems like this will create a large amount of waste.

Fourth, more fuel efficient cars will encourage more driving.  So, many drivers that will now be “saving” gas will have even less incentive to reduce the miles they travel.

Fifth, there is a stipulation to buy American to qualify for the cash.  Does this violate free trade agreements?  I’m sure foreign auto makers will be angry and potentially retaliate by not importing American goods.

Sixth, this seems to benefit the auto makers more than the public.  Is this just another way for the government to give aid to the failing auto industry?

We desperately need to move away from our current car model and reduce traffic, not buy more cars while building additional roads.  That’s what we have been doing for the last 50 years and look where it has gotten us.

To me, this is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titantic.  The ship is still sinking and we need to make much bigger changes than just trading in one car for another.

photo credit: mtneer_man

Fast Company has an interesting story in their April issue entitled “10 Ways To Jump-Start the Auto Business”.  The on-line version has been expanded to 25 ways, so I guess there are a lot of opinions out there for our auto industry.  This is a thought provoking article that highlights many of the current problems and offers some potential solutions.

Some of the issues they address include:

• Higher gas tax
• Car design
• Advertising
• Social networks
• Alternative fuels
• Monorail technology
• Hybrid vehicles
• Buy American
• Sell your car

All of these ideas to get the auto business moving again are well intentioned and very valid if you agree with the premise of the article.  My problem is that I think the last thing we need is more cars.  We already have plenty of cars, we just need to make more efficient use of the existing “fleet”.

So instead of trying to improve a broken system, I believe we should go in a new direction.  We have to explore a broad strategy to get people out of their cars.  Increased ride share, car share, mass transit, biking and walking are the future.

photo credit: vieux bandit

In the winter, many parents will drive their kids to and from the bus stop every day.  Then they idle their car or van waiting for the bus while they waste precious gas and generate excess exhaust.  Most times, you see several neighbors on the same street, each with their own vehicle idling.

This may seem like a small issue and it is, for just one vehicle.  Now consider all the parents across the country and how many vehicles are idling every single day.  Yes, this is a significant waste of money and resources.

So does a vehicle idling really burn that much fuel?  Studies have shown that an average car will consume one gallon of gas for each hour of idling and those costs can quickly add up.  You should turn off your engine if you’re going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds, except in traffic.  This is just another compelling reason to reduce traffic.

We should also reduce idling is to prolong the life of your car.  Idling can cause damage to your vehicle’s engine since it is not working at its peak temperature.  This can result in incomplete fuel combustion which leads to several engine problems and potential damage to your exhaust due to water condensation.

Finally, idling is a health issue.  Vehicle emissions are known to cause significant respiratory health effects.  Children can suffer with asthma and the elderly struggle with emphysema and chronic bronchitis.  Any reduction in exhaust fumes would improve respiratory health since the air would be cleaner.

We can not idly sit back and wait for someone else to fix our problems.  Each of us needs to make small contributions every day to have a big impact.  What will your contribution be?

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

When most people buy a car, they look at the purchase price as their total cost.  Unfortunately that is only the beginning, there are many hidden costs to car ownership.  According to Edmunds, there are seven categories associated with buying, owning and operating a car:

1. Depreciation
2. Financing
3. Insurance
4. Taxes and fees
5. Fuel
6. Maintenance
7. Repairs

Want to see how much your car is actually costing you per month?  The people at BikesAtWork.com have a real cost of car ownership calculator.  Plug in your annual car expenses to find out your true car ownership costs.  They also show you how much you could save by not owning a car.

Edmunds has also conducted a study to reveal which cars offer the best value by calculating the cost per mile to own and operate each vehicle.  I was surprised to find that Hybrid vehicles do not score well due to their high purchase price.  So instead of just looking at purchase price and fuel efficiency, consider the total cost of ownership of any vehicle you own.

Now Pay4Rides would not be free, but it would certainly cost you less than car ownership.  Even if you keep your car and just use it less, you could realize significant savings.  We are all so conditioned to the 2 car family, would you ever consider giving one up?

photo credit: *davierae*

In our current economic slow down, there is some good news.  People are driving less which means fewer accidents.  In this article from the Los Angeles Times, they quote Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

One of the few benefits of a bad economy is that you don’t kill as many people in motor vehicle crashes.

According to USA Today, Traffic fatalities on the nation’s roads are down nearly 10% over last year.  This is a huge difference and it means that over 3,000 lives were saved.  In addition, car accidents cost us all financially and a reduction in our driving saves us money.

The number of miles driven during spring and summer declined sharply as a result of high fuel prices.  The Department of Transportation announced that drivers in the USA logged nearly 100 billion fewer miles than in the prior 12-month period.  It is hard to calculate the impact of that many miles, but just think of all the variables:

1. Gasoline saved
2. Decrease of imported oil
3. Reduction in CO2 emissions
4. Less maintenance on our vehicles
5. Diminished wear and tear on our roadways and bridges
6. Drop in tolls paid

In a tough economy, we need to save money wherever we can.  The fact that we also can save lives and gain all of these other benefits just proves the positive effect  that Pay4Rides could have every day.  Are you driving less?  Why?

photo credit: sashafatcat

The Asbury Park Press (my local paper) had an interesting story today about New Jersey commuters.  According to census figures, we are number one when it comes to spending time in our cars.  In the story, they list some pretty interesting statistics:

Census figures show the average state commute is 29.4 minutes compared to a national average of 25.1 minutes. Commuters from Marlboro in Monmouth County have the second-longest average commute in the nation at 46 minutes.  Many are solo in their vehicles. Nationally, 76.1 percent of commuters drive alone compared with 72.1 percent in New Jersey.

These numbers back up many of the arguments that I have been making here at Pay4Rides.  Both here in New Jersey and nationally, we are spending almost an hour a day in our cars and we are doing it alone.

Remember, they are called passenger vehicles.  The average car can hold 5 people, maybe 4 comfortably.  Vans and SUVs even more, while sports cars and some pick-up trucks less.  The next time you are driving, look around at all the cars on the road.  How many are single driver only?  Think about all that unused capacity in each vehicle and help me figure out how to begin using it.

photo credit: Looking Glass

With bankruptcy hanging over the big 3 automakers, they feel many people are shying away from buying a new car.  Yeah, we should be hesitant to buy new cars until they can make more fuel efficient vehicles.  If there were better options available (electric, hybrids, alternative fuel), people would be purchasing.

In a BusinessWeek story, they talk about the union suspending their program called JOBS bank.  This program paid workers a large percentage of their salary while they were not working.  The union has also agreed to delay payment to their health-car program.

In a USA Today story, they spell out 5 critical issues to address the bailout:

1. Overpaid workers - the UAW is taking much of the public blame for the automakers’ woes.
2. Overpaid executives - members of Congress have argued that the CEOs haven’t made enough personal sacrifice to justify the bailout they seek.
3. Green cars - U.S. automakers focused on more profitable SUVs and trucks at the expense of developing more cars and fuel-efficient technologies.
4. Too many dealers - the Detroit 3 have too many stores for their market share.
5. Bias in Congress - politicians from Southern states have been very critical.

All of this is reactionary management based on a very bad economy.  Unfortunately, the management executives should have been more proactive in addressing these issues.  They were happy with big profits on SUV’s and now they can not give them away.  Should congress approve a bailout?  I don’t think they deserve it, but what are the ramifications of letting any one or all three fail?

To address our problems, we need aggressive, proactive solutions.  I believe Passenger Energy could make a difference today, not in 2-3 years.

photo credit: rezsox

A Kludge is a workaround.  It does not address the root cause of a problem, but instead layers on Band-Aids.  These attempts usually lead to additional workarounds which then result in a distressed situation.  This is what we are currently facing with our ever increasing traffic and congestion.

When I was younger, my Dad would use duct tape to fix almost everything.  It would work for a while, but eventually the problem would return and we would go through another round of duct tape.

So while a Prius will save gas, it does not actually reduce traffic.  It is a small fix for an individual, but bigger action is required to tackle the whole problem.  Which is more energy efficient?

•   4 individuals driving smart cars
•   1 SUV with 3 passengers

Don’t give up your current car, just drive it less.  Let me know what you think.

  photo credit: Simon Davison

Car Accidents – cost all of us

According to AAA, auto accidents cost over $164 billion each year, or over $1,000 per person.  The costs include medical care, emergency and police services, property damage, lost productivity and quality of life.  Nearly 43,000 people die each year on the nations roadways.

photo credit: tedkerwin 

Some people prefer the term “crash” since the term “accident” suggests an unpredictable, unpreventable event.  There have been many advances to reduce the cause of accidents including improved road design and better car safety standards. 

While these and other ideas are very beneficial, simple reducing the number of cars on the road would make Pay4Rides a very smart choice.

Car & Passenger Vehicle Facts - lots of cars cost lots of money

The average American spends an hour and half in the car every day.  There are 300 million people in the U.S. and over 230 million registered vehicles.

Burning a gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, which contains 5 pounds of pure carbon.  So an average car that travels just 1,000 miles a month at an above average 25 miles per gallon would burn 40 gallons of gasoline and produce 800 pounds of carbon dioxide.  Just think about those numbers per car per month and multiply by 230 million.

In 2004, U.S. cars and light trucks traveled a combined 2.7 trillion miles. According to AAA, owning and operating a vehicle costs an average of $9,531 each year.  These costs include the type of vehicle, insurance, maintenance, tolls, parking fees and gasoline.

Wouldn’t you like to reduce those costs and drastically cut our emissions?

photo credit: srish