[Dieseltuned]

Hi all,

I have started an initiative as a personal endeavour towards saving the environment ::

This initiative is my $0.02 worth of contribution to the larger good. We always crib about the traffic, congestion, pollution and what not, but how many of us are ready to give up the comforts of our car to do our small bit for a cause. (I know there are a lot here who cycle to work).
I started this in order to give my daughter a better future in terms of a bit less polluted environment. My new year resolution is to give up my car for one week if possible every month and use the public transport for my daily commute to office ::

The Daily commute ::

My commute is from Borivali to Powai which is approximately 20 kms one way.

My ride ::

A 2012 Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R VXi

My daily petrol usage ::

Approx 3.5 litres owing to super choked JVLR and WEH

Now the good bits,

Starting Monday 04th Jan 2016 to Today (Friday) 08th Jan 2016 I did not take my ride to office and below are the things that i saved or gained for our future generations ::

Considering approx fuel cost in Mumbai as INR 68.
Litres of Petrol saved as :: 3.5 l/day * 5 days = 17.5 litres of petrol

Petrol cost for this one week would have been :: 3.5 l/day * 68 INR/litre * 5 days = 1190 INR

What transport did I use ? -> Office bus in the morning and B.E.S.T buses in the night

How much did I spend on B.E.S.T buses ? -> INR 602 (including some days in AC buses and some days in Non AC buses)

Net saving in Rupees = 1190 - 602 = 588 INR saved this week

Now the most important thing :: Carbon emissions!

For this part I will qoute an information which I got on the below link ::

http://www.ecoscore.be/en/how-calcul...el-consumption

"
Petrol:
1 liter of petrol weighs 750 grammes. Petrol consists for 87% of carbon, or 652 grammes of carbon per liter of petrol. In order to combust this carbon to CO2, 1740 grammes of oxygen is needed. The sum is then 652 + 1740 = 2392 grammes of CO2/liter of petrol.
An average consumption of 5 liters/100 km then corresponds to 5 l x 2392 g/l / 100 (per km) = 120 g CO2/km.
"

As stated above, I saved 17.5 litres of petrol this week, so if we simply multiply the CO2 / litre to 17.5 litres ::

I saved 41.86 KGs of CO2 in going into the environment

So in retrospective i have a feeling that i did something good for the society. In times when people all across the globe are talking about saving the environment, this is what I personally as a responsible citizen can do and have done it.

If one car off the road for one week can save 41.86 KGs of CO2 going in the environment, think what can be saved if people join hands and do their bit at individual levels.

P.S :: We crib a lot about the B.E.S.T buses, but forget that they are one of the important cogs in the wheels that keep Mumbai running.
A big thumbs up to B.E.S.T for keeping the buses running against all odds that they face here.

Regards
Dieseltuned

Note to Mods :: Please merge this if there is an existing thread, I could not find any so posted a new thread.

[alpha1]

Great initiative, you should also mention the commute duration, for both cases, for this to become even more informative - more so in a large metropolitan city.

[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Great initiative, you should also mention the commute duration, for both cases, for this to become even more informative - more so in a large metropolitan city.

Thank you alpha1,

The Commute duration is approximately 45 minutes to 75 minutes by car.
By taking the bus i spent atleast 30 minutes extra per day most of this goes in waiting for the bus at the bus stop.

The actual commute time remains more or less same as both bus and car take the same route and through similar traffic conditions.

I will check if i am able to add this to my OP.

Note to Mods :: Can you please add this time information to OP, I am not able to edit my OP.

Regards
Dieseltuned.

[TorqueyTechie]

A big up to you! Keep this spirit going. I for one have started using my two wheeler to commute instead of my car from new year (counts for something right!) . Only deterrent for me in using public transport are my erratic work timings and also the dread of changing 3 buses for reaching my office which is 22 kms one way. Hoping I get inspired by you and take the plunge soon!

[freedom]

Fantastic!! Kudos to you.

I have been commuting on bicycle 2 days a week for more than a year now. My commute is only 9 one way. It takes the same amount of time and I get good workout too.

I would completely give up commuting by car if PMT and ricks are even half as reliable as Mumbai :(

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

Starting Monday 04th Jan 2016 to Today (Friday) 08th Jan 2016 I did not take my ride to office and below are the things that i saved or gained for our future generations ::

You missed one very important aspect you gained. The luxury of no worries while on Mumbai roads. You do not have to worry about who will cut in front of you, who will scratch your car when too close, etc etc.

You just sit and relax in the bus. Read a paper, play a game. Catch up with some old friend on phone. You walk home>bus stop>office>bus stop>home - A good exercise. Getting time for these things in Mumbai, I am sure, is a luxury.

Driving in mad traffic in quite frustrating and when you finally reach home, you carry a little bit of this with you. By not driving, one totally avoids the frustration and none reaches home with you.

Peace of mind and some spare time to enjoy.

[Speed Pujari]

Good thought and I really appreciate it when people take up public transport over driving.

Giving up the car certainty reduces carbon footprint but only a handful think like that. You can see in the Delhi' odd/even rule thread that even our members think about convenience over pollution.

I had been mocked by my friends for the decision I took. I take a Volvo BMTC to commute to office. Two way commute costs me 90rs a day, OTOH my petrol car can cover same distance for 70 rs, imagine how much saving can happen using a diesel car. But I think it's about personal perception.

I am glad to find like minded people here .

[Chetan_Rao]

Kudos!

It's not just the money or the environment, you gain a lot of intangibles too (peace of mind and reduced wear & tear on limbs).

I sold my car last April because I felt I didn't really need it and was sick of horrendous traffic and an assortment of other hassles car ownership brings. Switched over to office cab for commuting and public transport/two-wheeler for personal needs, and have been able to manage just fine. Added advantages, I've saved quite a bit of time, effort and money that now gets used elsewhere (TBH, quite a bit goes into the 'Future Car fund'). The better half is also happier as she gets more of my undivided time/attention now.

I do miss my car sometimes, but have been able to resist the urge to buy one again so far. May do it in the future for leisure/touring needs, but I've gained a whole new perspective by being car-less.

While I won't deny there are lots of people for whom a car may be a necessity, there's a huge chunk of car owners out there who have them just because they want them (for whatever reason).

[sukhoi]

Excellent initiative. Tip my hat to you. Glad to know that there are people like you who are thinking about the environment and contributing towards a better pollution free tomorrow in their own individual capacity. This thread would surely inspire many more to follow your lead.

Cheers,
S

[poised2drive]

Wonderful Thought !

My daily commute is 25 Km [ two way] and I think of doing this daily but I need to start almost an 30-40 minutes before as I need to walk about 2 km to get a bus. Ergo, I procrastinate everyday !

Let me take inspiration from you and do this on monday !

Cheers, once again !

[callvvijay]

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

Starting Monday 04th Jan 2016 to Today (Friday) 08th Jan 2016 I did not take my ride to office and below are the things that i saved or gained for our future generations
.....................
I saved 41.86 KGs of CO2 in going into the environment

Hats off, bro!
As vinit.merchant pointed out above, you should also include those things that cannot be quantified by money/emissions etc. - the peace of mind you get while sitting in a public transport.

Let me put my case out here - My commute to office is 10kms one-way - of which the first 3-4kms from my home is traffic-free while the remaining has very bad traffic on the bad/no roads. For the past few months, I have started keeping my bike in a railway station and taking a train to office thereby avoiding the traffic. The peace of mind I get by this is definitely priceless.

I used to be an avid reader (novels) earlier - a good hobby which I had lost lately. Now, after I started taking the train, I'm slowly getting back into the habit of reading. If not for books, I see different people, hear different conversations, help some old person in boarding the train, walk a lot, run a little (in case I'm late for the train). It's different - It's nice.

And, regarding the bus/train schedule and wait-times, we are at the smart-phone era and there are lots of apps giving you details about the bus/train timings. Use them and they are definitely useful.

Originally Posted by poised2drive

Wonderful Thought !

My daily commute is 25 Km [ two way] and I think of doing this daily but I need to start almost an 30-40 minutes before as I need to walk about 2 km to get a bus. Ergo, I procrastinate everyday !

Let me take inspiration from you and do this on monday !

Cheers, once again !

All the very best! Awaiting to hear from you!

[byomjeet]

That's a great initiative Dieseltuned.

I really appreciate your action from the core of my heart.

I always think about it but have never been able to do this. Your posting has encouraged me to do something similar to this. We all should learn from you.

What I do these days is, I have been using my daughter's cycle for local use to meet the domestic needs upto 2-3 KMs and back. I have been doing this since last 5-6 months and was testing myself whether I am able to do cycling on a regular basis. Now that I am confident of this, I will buy a cycle for myself in a month.

All my best wishes are with you to continue with the noble initiative.

Take care.

[Pferdestarke]

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

My new year resolution is to give up my car for one week if possible every month and use the public transport for my daily commute to office.

That's really a commendable initiative Dieseltuned Your notion of preserving the environment for future generations deserves a great appraisal. This is what exactly the denizens of our metropolitan cities need to inculcate to give a better future for forthcoming generations. IMO the governing bodies should take initiation to motivate folks towards utilization of public transit services.

Inspired by your move, I'm planning a covoiturage. About 5 of my colleagues stay in the vicinity. I'll bring up this proposal of car pooling and I'm quite sure that at least 3 of them will abide with me at least for the fuel savings they're about to get.

Will post an update soon about our car-sharing plan.

Now, my day feels very bright! Cheers!

[drhoneycake]

That is just too good, loved the way you compiled the statistics. That is too good.

So, I went through this whole week on public transport and yes it may take 30 mins extra, but the peace of mind at the end of the journey is just unmatched.

I do JP Nagar to Whitefield / JP Nagar to Vijaynagar (alternate days) and I went through this week on our public transport.

Remembered my college days when I used to travel everywhere on BMTC.

500 to ITPL and 60 series to Vijaynagar. Sometimes Volvo, most of the time the ordinary red board busses.

BMTC isn't as bad as it's made out to be. I loved travelling in bus. In fact I want to travel everyday in Bus. Saves money as well as the reduced amount of strain on the arms and legs.




Sent from my iPhone 6 using Team-BHP

[Ruchitya]

Great initiative Dieseltuned. Being a part of the younger generation, I feel a small sense of responsibility after reading your post.
Though I had tried public transport earlier, switching buses was a bit of a hassle. And cycling is not a possibility since I have to ride some distance on Mysore-Bangalore highway upto college- too risky.
Alhough many people have commented on the convenience of public transport, there is one thing that scares me, thieves on the buses and trains.
My friends have been pick-pocketed in the past on some occasions. When in a bus, I find myself constantly reaching to check if my phone, wallet, chain are where they should be.
Yes, I do take precautions but complete peace of mind has eluded me on the commute. Over-crowded buses do little to ease this situation, as many people keep jostling around you most of the time