Many people see driving as the easiest route to take, but in some ways it is not. Gas prices are flying upwards and your salary is not. When people spend $70 to $80 to fill up their tank, there are other answers that begin to look much more appealing.The increasing number of people driving their cars around has been detrimental to the environment. In 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rejected a plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Although I am glad that the government is not controlling our lives, this does reveal that the problem remains unsolved. There is something the citizens can do, and it is not driving.The price of taking care of a bike is significantly lower than that of a car. In order to take care of a good bike, you will need to air up your tires once a week and do your lubes and wash your bike once a month. This all adds up to about $20 and then $5 a year for a new bottle of bike chain lube. In Portland, Oregon, 6 percent of the working population cycle to work and 31 percent of students cycle to school.There are negative biking issues as well. The danger of competing with cars on the roads and dealing with inclement weather can make cycling more irritating.If gas costs $3.60, you get 20 miles to a gallon and you live 25 miles from work it will cost you $9 for transportation to and from work every day. Metro day bus passes cost only $2. There are a total of 71 routes in Austin, taking you wherever you need to go. Riding the bus or rail is also a wonderful alternative for bad weather days when your bike is not an option. The rail travels from Leander to 4th St. downtown, stopping at several ideal locations.

Now some of you may be thinking about convenience issues: people simply do not want to go through the trouble of having to drive to a park-and-ride and wait for the bus. Or they do not wish to create a plan and have to wake up early to execute it. But the money saved is ridiculous.

Also, on the bus you get to experience so many interesting occurrences, there is great diversity on Austin’s Capital Metro buses. One special moment that I experienced would be when I met a 20-something girl named Rebecca. She was quite petite, had her septum pierced, and had a short platinum bob. We talked about hipster stuff and how great Austin is. It turned out we were going to the same ACC campus. Another occurrence was when I got to talk to a Vietnam War veteran; he had many wonderful tales to tell.

What I am asking you to do is simply think about saving money by making new transportation choices. You do not need to sell your car and start wearing tie-dye shirts, but maybe you could change one part. When you go to work take the bus and save your car for those sporadic beach trips or a night on the town.