One of the difficult choices people have to make today is that of utilizing public transportation or an automobile. Americans spend a lot on everything concerning owning a car, high prices of gas, insurance, parking, license plate registration, and maintenance of the vehicle, for example. In addition, people experience long delays driving their cars every day due to crowded roads. Also, traffic congestion seems to worsen intensely while the number of motor vehicles does not stop growing; as a result, the air gets more and more polluted. According to Texas Transportation Institute, traffic congestion costs Americans $63.1 billion a year (TTI). The use of public transportation is indeed an advantageous choice for a myriad of reasons. First off, public transportation takes people to a lot of places for a cheap price. Nowadays, due to several economic factors, people search for alternatives that help them to save money. Cars are expensive to buy and to maintain; also, gas prices have been increasing dramatically. On the other hand, public vehicles allow commuters to go around different distances spending much less than if they had to drive a car. If you compare the cost of gas and parking to the cost of train or bus pass, you will figure out that a monthly commuting pass is far more economical. Also, according to the American Automobile Association, “the estimated cost of driving a single-occupant vehicle is between $4,826 (for a small car) and $9,685 (for a large car) per year, depending upon mileage. By contrast, the annual average cost for public transportation for one adult ranges from $200 to $2,000, depending upon mileage, time of day, type of vehicle or service” (AAA). So, when looking at public transportation, one of the main benefits is undoubtedly the ability of saving some money because it costs less than driving.
Another reason to advocate the use of public transportation is that it is