Please note that the accuracy of the savings calculator is not guaranteed, nor is its applicability to individual circumstances. Obtaining personal advice from qualified financial professionals is always recommended.

My Statistics: The daily round trip commute in miles is multiplied by 250 workdays (assumes a 5 day work week, 50 weeks per year) to determine the yearly round trip miles commuted. The user input the size of the vehicle: small, medium, or large.

Yearly Commuting Costs: The number of yearly round trip miles commuted is divided by miles per gallon of gas (as provided by AAA, based on the size of the vehicle: small, medium, large) to determine how many gallons of gas are used on a yearly basis, then multiplied by the current price of gas (as provided by the user) to determine the cost of gas on a yearly basis. The cost per mile for maintenance and tires (as provided by AAA, based on the size of the vehicle: small, medium, large) is multiplied by the number of yearly round trip miles commuted, in order to determine the annual cost of maintenance and tires.

Yearly Car Ownership Costs: The dollar amounts for insurance, car payment, and the value of the car are supplied by the user. The average cost of both car registration and fees is provided by AAA. Depreciation is based on the value of the car multiplied by 15%.

Yearly Cost Comparisons: To determine the annual cost of commuting by car, the yearly commuting costs are added to the yearly car ownership costs. To determine the annual cost of commuting by bus, the cost of a monthly bus pass is multiplied by 12. To determine the annual cost of commuting in a vanpool, the number of yearly round trip miles commuted is divided by 16.75 (the average number of van miles per gallon of gas) to determine the total number of gallons of gas used to vanpool on an annual basis. The number of gallons of gas used annually is multiplied by the current price of gas to determine the cost of gas on a yearly basis, then added to the yearly cost of a van leased through Commute with Enterprise, then divided by 11 (the average number of passengers in a vanpool) to determine the annual commuting cost per vanpool passenger.

Total Yearly Savings: The annual cost of commuting by bus is subtracted from the annual cost of commuting by car to determine the savings realized by commuting by bus. The annual cost of commuting by van is subtracted from the annual cost of commuting by car to determine the savings realized by vanpooling.

Carbon Footprint Reduction: The number of gallons of gas used to commute by car on a yearly basis is multiplied by 8,887 grams (per the EPA, 8,887 grams of CO₂ are emitted per gallon of gas) and divided by 453.592 (number of grams in a lb) to determine the total lbs of reduced carbon emissions.