So … an Elephant and a Dragon board a bus.
This summer quarter (just gone) UCLA began a commuter program whereby it encouraged employee parking pass holders to turn in their passes (and get a full refund on the monthly parking fee that runs $63.00/month) in exchange for free Metro TAP cards, electromagnetic swipe cards granting access on all Metro buses, subways and light rail.
I’ve been wanting to inch towards a greener, less me-centric lifestyle for a while but … it’s only gone as far as that–wanting, not acting.
Finally, I was given a financial incentive–and, yes, sadly, it did come down to that. (So much for eviscerating my soft me-centric center)
I ran the numbers:
A quick calculation of the standard fare of $1.25 each way, or $2.50 daily, had me looking at $10.00 of weekly transportation expenditure ($2.50 by four days, with Fridays off). Multiply that by the average number of weeks per month (which comes in around 4.2 weeks per month on average) and I’m looking at $42.00 a month in transportation costs to and from work, already $21.00 under what I was paying just to have the privilege of being allowed to park at UCLA–never mind that this in no way means an employee is guaranteed a parking spot.
The view from my bus stop at Sunset Blvd. facing north on Highland Avenue
