How to Reduce Transportation Costs for Your Business

Driving is necessary for every entrepreneur or business owner. With that in mind, here’s a list that includes some of the best methods you can use to save money on transportation.

Avoid Traveling with a Full Trunk

If you want to commute fast or you want to reach another part of the city without spending additional gas, clean out your trunk. You don’t want to carry unnecessary stuff with you. The best thing you can do is drive with an empty trunk. Using your trunk as storage will limit your fuel efficiency. If you use this approach, you will get a fuel efficiency boost of around 2%.

Complete Maintenance on Time

You’ll need to keep financing car repairs to ensure that your work vehicle is properly maintained. Tires not inflated to the recommended PSI or that have low tread use more gas. Not having your oil changed regularly also lowers the efficiency of your engine.

Slow Down

Maintaining your speed limit will help you save gas. Avoiding unnecessary acceleration will help you save on fuel too. Use your cruise control when you’re driving long distances to keep your speedometer from going up and down too much.

Open the Windows

Studies have shown that if you roll down the windows, your car will be more fuel efficient. Rolling down your windows will bring in the fresh cool air and saves you money on the gas it takes to run your A/C. You’ll want to limit this to slower driving because when you drive faster the aerodynamics of the car with the windows open will create drag and use more gas.

Insurance

Some car insurance companies will give you a lower rate if you only require low mileage. It’s crucial to talk with your insurance company because they will offer you guidance and the help you may need. You could get some great discounts based on your circumstances.

Avoid Toll Roads

If you want to spend less on local transportation, you should consider avoiding toll roads. These roads can cost anywhere from $1 to $10 per direction depending on the city. Currently, the most expensive toll road in the US is a 2.5-mile tunnel in Alaska from Anchorage to Prince William Sound costing $13! Other roads charge per mile and have multiple tolls along the way.

Public Transportation

Public transportation can be daunting to figure out depending on the city you live in and the time you need to get there. In towns like New York, public transportation is easy, affordable and reliable and most people use it. In a city like Phoenix or Los Angeles, the public transport network is not set up conveniently at all, unless you are going a very short distance. You can look online at your local city’s website to see your options, stops, and routes.

Carpool with Your Friends

Ridesharing can save you tons of money. You save money on gas when your employees or partners drive, and you will save on regular maintenance because you drive less.

Plan your Parking

Paid parking can add up, and it can make it harder for you to save money on transportation when you are going somewhere that doesn’t have free parking.

Opt for Public Transportation

Believe it or not, public transportation is quite handy if you have metro or bus stations in your city. You can get that cards are designed to be inexpensive, and you can quickly get to where you want to go if you use this method. Some cities offer employers discounts on their tax bill to reimburse their employees for purchasing metro cards as well, so check with the city you live in or your employer.

Get a Bicycle

A bike is one of the best investments that you can make to save money on transportation costs. Another positive aspect of riding your bike is that you get to be in the fresh air and exercise. A bicycle will also help contribute to less pollution.

Check for Any Transportation Incentives

Some cities are encouraging their residents to use a method of transportation. You can use those discounts and incentives to your advantage. Find out the type of discounts that you can get, and this can come in handy for saving money and sometimes even making money!

Apps

An application like GasBuddy will help you find the nearest and cheapest gas stations around you. It can come in handy to use an app like this especially if you aren’t in a familiar part of town. The best thing is that most of these applications are free, so downloading and using them won’t cost you anything.

Another excellent app is Waze, this app will direct you away from traffic, which will help you avoid that stop and go traffic that eats up your gas.

In the end, it’s safe to say that trying out these methods will be a great solution to save money for your business on your day to day transportation. Make sure that you use as many of these tips as you can. If you use them wisely, you’ll be able to save quite a bit of money. Also, as you can imagine, these discounts and savings can add up exponentially as time passes!