Chesterton Tribune

 

 

NICTD: South Shore commuters spend 85 percent less than drivers do to get to work

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A Dunelander who commutes to his or her job in Chicago by car, driving every day, is paying nearly seven times more to get to work than the Dunelander who hops a South Shore train at Dune Park Station.

That’s the conclusion of a cost analysis conducted by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transpiration District, using the Internal Revenue Service’s current reimbursable mileage allowance of $0.575 per mile, multiplied by 21 commuting days, NICTD said in a statement released on Wednesday.

That analysis is the centerpiece of NICTD’s “Life is Hard; The Train is Easy” campaign, which NICTD will be promoting heavily this year, in conjunction with its introduction in March of the new limited-stop Sunrise Express service, whose morning rush-hour Train 6 run has cut the fastest Dune Park-to-Millennium run by 20 minutes.

The cost analysis breaks down this way for commuters riding all the way to Millennium from Dune Park Station:

* The cost of commuting by train for one month: $228.

* The cost of commuting by car for one month: the IRS per mile rate ($0.575) X total daily mileage (92) X total monthly commuting days (21), plus tolls ($201.60) plus parking ($225), for a grand total of $1,565.

Over the course of a year, a South Shore commuter who lives in Duneland pays around $2,736 (12 X $228). Meanwhile, the car commuter pays around $18,780 (12 X $1,565).

As NICTD Marketing Director John Parsons noted, however, there’s a qualitative savings enjoyed by South Shore commuters above and beyond the quantitative one. “Not only are commuters saving on their transportation costs versus driving, they’re greatly reducing the wear-and-tear on their automobiles every month and can enjoy a much more relaxing commute than fighting rush-hour traffic.”

NICTD’s cost analysis does take into effect, moreover, the 75-cent, 10.8 percent fare hike which went into effect on July 1 for commuters who board at Dune Park Shore.

“As with all commuter transportation agencies serving Chicago, NICTD has experienced increased costs in maintaining our fleet and ensuring a safe and reliable commute for our passengers,” Parsons noted. “We believe the fare increase will allow us to address rising operational costs, maintain our fleet and infrastructure, and continue meeting our passengers’ expectations.”

For more information on the fare increase and on the South Shore schedule, visit www.nictd.com

 

 

Posted 7/10/2015

 
 
 
 

 

 

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