Car share info allows for better transport choices

xkcd questionDo you know how much a trip in your car is costing you? Have you added up petrol, depreciation, repairs, and all the other factors that go into running a car? One of the great things about using a car-share scheme is that you know exactly how much each trip costs – and so whether it’s worth pursuing alternatives. As I found out this week.

I have a regular thing I do every Thursday that involves driving a few kilometers and then parking the car for several hours before driving home. Thanks to the detailed reports issued by GoGet I know this costs me an average of $32 per week. Most of that while the car sits parked.

So this week I tried an experiment. I caught the bus there ($3.50) and an Uber car home ($14.00). Total cost was $17.50 instead of $32. And, as a a distinct bonus, I removed the constant fear I live with of getting a parking fine while leaving the car parked for 4 hours in the only parking available which has a two-hour limit.

It’s a classic case where the availability of both information and alternatives is making life so much easier than would otherwise be the case. In one sense this isn’t great for GoGet as the availability of information has allowed me to sensibly choose an alternative. But in another it is: I’m encouraged to keep using them because the availability of information allows me to properly assess the best way to get somewhere; and this is fulfilling GoGet’s underlying mission of reducing the number of cars on the road.

Information is truly power.

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