How to Cut the Cost of Commuting

At 26 minutes, my typical commute time is average.

But there is a faster way.

The Cost of Commuting

When the cost of housing was high near work, many of us moved where homes were cheaper. The result was a longer commute.

Yes?

Not necessarily.

It all depends on the roads. During Covid, working from home, we stayed off the highways. Now we have returned and average commuting time is climbing again. But still, rush hours are not quite the same. Even when more employers want us to be in the office, some of us have flexible work hours and work days that even out traffic. Furthermore, with roads less crowded, we can cut our commuting time by driving faster.

Always though, shown below, commuting wastes millions of gallons of fuel, hours, and dollars, pounds, and euros:

So, I would like to make a suggestion.

Our Bottom Line: Self-Driving Vehicles

Intuitively, many of us assume that self-driving automated vehicles could reduce the cost of commuting. As drivers, not having to steer or look at the road, we could work or read or relax. Furthermore, autos would navigate roads more efficiently.

According to a 2020 paper, we are correct. Focusing on Germany, and using traffic flow simulations, researchers looked at level 4 (some human intervention) and 5 (fully autonomous) vehicles for three different routes. As for driving behavior, they compared humans, cautious autonomous, and aggressive autonomous.

These were the results. (A collector road has limited capacity.):

Whether it’s level 4 or level 5 automation, commuters save substantial travel time. To see our personal time use benefit, the researchers looked at what we accomplish in a chauffeur driven cars and on trains. In addition, commuters benefit from enhanced safety, diminished emissions, and lower insurance outlays.

Of course, it would not be this simple. Ranging from modified roadways (perhaps even able to charge EVs), to producing the cars, to parking facilities, to liability considerations, the list of externalities is long.

So too are the hours we waste.

My sources and more: Thanks to the Slate Money podcast (which I enjoy every Saturday) for alerting me to the new commuting data. They also suggested this NY Times article. Then, from there, I returned to my go-to site for transportation data and this past econlife post, And finally, this self-driving/EV paper gave it all a new spin.