Saturday, March 15, 2008

Mid-Month Theme: Subway Day

This is the turnstile entry into the subway station at Jackson Heights, Queens. The cost of each ride regardless of distance or direction is $2 or you can buy an unlimited subway pass like I do for $81 per month. With the prices of gasoline/petrol approaching $4/gallon in the US, I'm glad I don't own a car.

So how much is the cost of gasoline/petrol in your city?

Subway day is a mid-month theme shared by the following blogs:
New York City Daily Photo - PHO (Paris) - Stockholm by Pixel

23 comments:

Chuck Pefley said...

You are lucky not having to feed a car. Our regular gas is around $3.80 I think. No subway, unfortunately. Only a bus. But, my Vespa gets about 75 miles per gallon ... and is more fun than subway or bus! Good weekend to you, Ming.

Sally said...

Currently about $1.40 per litre. (No idea what it is in US gallons)Goes up and down between about $1.33 to $1.50. Tends to be cheaper on Tuesdays, more expensive closer to the weekend.

stromsjo said...

The unlimited pass here costs roughly $115 for 30 days but that includes not just the subway but all public transportation within the greater Stockholm area. For single rides we have a zone system where the entire subway network is confined to the city zone "A". A grown-up would pay between $5 and $7 depending on how the ticket is purchased: from a machine, using your cell phone or from a person in a ticket kiosk.

Happy subway day, Ming(tm)!

Peter said...

If you buy a loose ticket here (Paris), it would cost you 1.50€ = 2.35$. An annual subscription would cost you something like 80$ / month. (These are prices for within or close to Paris - prices considerably higher if you live far from the center.)
Where the difference is really striking is for the gasoline / petrol: We pay more than the double of the US prices - and you complain! :-)

alice said...

The cost of gasoline changes almost every day...and you guess in which way...Even in euros ;-), it's VERY expensive to travel by car! And you have not always the choice.

GMG said...

I always thought that gasoline prices in US were outrageously cheap («environmentally» speaking)... Now the confirmation: we pay the equivalent of $ 2.32 for a liter of 98 octane... (1 US gallon= 3.78541178 liters). You're complaining? ;))
Have a great weekend!
Gil

Anonymous said...

I think if any good comes out of the increased cost of gasoline, in America, it will be that alternative fuels will be mass produced and,or, that people will begin taking public transportation or, better still, walk.

Sara said...

Right now gas is $3.19 a gallon in my city (NH) - on Friday's it is 5 cents a gallon less. For people like me who buy a gift card so I can pay at the pump it is 5 cents less all the time - and 10 cents less on Friday.

Do you find that you use your monthly subway card enough to get your monies worth?

Ming the Merciless said...

Sara, I use the subway almost every day (to and from work) and on weekends too. So basically, I use the unlimited pass at least 14 times a week. Sometimes, I use it more than twice a day, especially if I make a stopover in the city before heading home.

So it is definitely worth the money. Plus using public transportation is tax deductible. :-)

Chris said...

I agree with Abe. One can only hope, though!

We are paying about $3.19/gal right now, although you can pay as "little" as $3.12 if you have a Sam's Club card. Thankfully, I traded the old SUV for a Mini Cooper, so I don't buy gas as often any more.

Peter said...

Please stop cheating us with the 3.19 or 3.12. Here we pay more or less 8.50!! :-)

teahouse said...

I live in NYC but happen to own a car. So the money is draining in all directions - buying Metrocards and gas!!

GMG said...

Like Peter said, please stop the game; we're paying around $8.80... ;))

stromsjo said...

I'm aware that not everyone has a bus stop outside his bedroom window and public transportation isn't always an alternative so no offense intended but the way we're squandering this non-renewable planet resource is an indication that the price at the pump is way too *low*.

Kiwi said...

I like the way you and Per have synchronised your photos.

Shammickite said...

I paid Cdn$1.09/litre yesterday. And that was for regular.
No idea how much that would be per US Gallon.

and you said "using public transportation is tax deductible"... really? That's the way it should be!

b13 said...

low octane around here is around $3.40/gal. :(

Anonymous said...

Nice subway/turnstiles shot.

Paz

John said...

Ming,

Referring to Sally's comments above about prices of petrol in Sydney, you need to factor in that there are 3.785 litres to a US gallon. That means a gallon of petrol at Sydney prices would be $AUD5.30 average ranging between $AUD5.03 and $AUD5.68 so you actually have cheap petrol!

photolicious said...

Hello Ming,

Can anyone survive in NYC without owning a car? I heard that in LA, nobody walks! So everyone drives from point to point because the distance is just too great.

On the contrary, people in Singapore flock to buy cars even though the pathetic land is only 42km by 24km connected by the metro system.

tigerfish said...

I'm also glad I don't own a car now. The public transport system here where I am now is not that efficient. No subways, no MRT, no metro. We just take a cab. But cab is cheap - usually 3-4USD to take us where we want to go within a 10min radius.

NormanTheDoxie said...

Too much!

Our SUV fills up at $90.

Unknown said...

nearly $2 a liter.

i see dunkin donuts behind the doors!!!