[Published: October 17, 2023]
Save money and help the planet by choosing a sustainable commute just once or twice a month. It’s that easy. If you’re ready to dip a toe in and take our challenge, here’s how it works:
- Take public transit, walk/bike, or rideshare to work just one day between Oct 17 - December 20.
- Bookmark this Google form and send us the details for a chance to win one of three $50 Amazon gift cards.
Need inspiration? Meet Phillip Lopez: An East Bay Sustainable Commute Success Story
Before moving to Newark recently, Phillip drove from Mountain View to the Stanford campus, where he works five days a week at the Hoover Institution as a facilities associate. With a significantly longer and costlier commute (thanks in part to bridge tolls), Phillip reached out with concerns to the sustainable commute team. The team responded a few days later, but by then, Philip had already made a change. “I started taking public transit, he wrote back. It truly is a better way to commute.” With those magic words, we had to ask….
Q. How did you become a convert?
A. My colleague kept telling me how easy it is. She rides the same bus I’d be taking– Line AE-F [which is managed by the Marguerite team and supplements AC Transit’s U Line transbay service to provide riders greater frequency.] She told me it was easy, that the bus would drop me right off at the Oval and she encouraged me to check it out.
Q. And did you?
A. At first, I resisted. I didn’t know where I had to pick up the bus or at what time. I felt overwhelmed by the logistics. I was far from an expert. When I lived in Mountain View, I only took Caltrain to work a few times.
Q. So, how did you make the leap?
A. I went online and got the schedule. It was way easier than I thought. Now, I ride three miles to the Ardenwood Park & Ride in Fremont and store my bike in the bus’ outside luggage department. Then I hop on the double-decker bus, which is luxurious, and free, thanks to Stanford. I take Line AE-F five days a week. Between the AE-F and the AC Transit Line U, the bus comes every fifteen minutes. Very convenient.
Q. What do you do with your free time now that you don’t drive?
A. I relax and go on my phone a lot (laughs).
Q. How much money do you save?
A. In addition to saving on gas and added costs of operating my car, I no longer have to pay for the $7/daily toll and $38 monthly parking permit.
SAVE LIKE PHILLIP~TRY OUR CALCULATOR to compute your potential savings!
Phillip saves $4,000+ a year in apparent commute costs (gas, parking and tolls) and $6,500+ in hidden commute costs (maintenance/repairs, registration, depreciaton). An added benefit is that by adopting a sustainable commute, Phillip is able to reduce his overall carbon footprint by more than 10%.
Q. Did helping the environment play a part in adopting a sustainable commute?
A. Yes, decreasing my carbon footprint and feeling like I could help the environment were big reasons I switched to taking the bus.
Q. Will inclement winter weather scare you off?
A. Not a chance. If it's raining hard, I’ll drive and park in the Ardenwood Park & Ride lot.
Q. What do you say to peers and colleagues who are intimidated by the thought of a sustainable commute – even just once a month?
A. It’s a lot easier than you might think. Doing it the first time and figuring everything out is half the battle. Who knows, if you try it even once a month, you might like it so much you'll end up commuting sustainably all the time.
Considering a sustainable commute but feeling overwhelmed? Schedule a virtual 15-minute One-on-One Commute Consultation to figure out your options. Our team has helped more than 350 commuters with overwhelmingly positive reviews. We can help you, too! Thinking of commuting from the East Bay? Read about all of your sustainable options in the East Bay Commute Guide.
