Clean Commute

Did you know over 50% of our greenhouse gases in Santa Fe County come from on-road transportation? In addition to contributing to global warming, vehicle emissions are detrimental to our health. According to the World Health Organization, 90% of people around the world are exposed to dangerously high levels of pollutants that lead to cancer and cardiovascular diseases, much of which comes from transportation sources. Whether it is carpooling, riding the bus, or buying an electric vehicle, everyone can have a big impact by taking the clean commute that works for them!

How much are you spending on your commute?

Follow these steps to find out.

1. Use an online map tool such as Google Maps or Bing Maps to determine the distance from your residence to your workplace. Double that for your round-trip distance.
2. Look up your vehicle online to determine the vehicle type (i.e. full size vehicle, compact pickup, etc.) and fuel economy (mpg).
3. You will see fuel economy numbers in miles per gallon (mpg) for city and highway. If most of your miles are in the city, use the city fuel economy. If most of your miles are on the highway, use the highway fuel economy. To keep it simple, add the two numbers together and divide by two. 
4. Visit https://www.gasbuddy.com to see current gas prices.
5. Enter those numbers into the calculator at http://www.commutesolutions.com/commute-cost-calculator/.

You can save half of that money by setting up a carpool with just one person and alternating vehicles. You can reduce it by 75% by setting up a carpool with three people. Look into the prices of bus passes for the different transportation options listed below and compare that to your commute cost. For example, an in-town commute in a full-size pickup truck costs $2,367 per year. A Santa Fe Trails bus pass costs $200. Switching to taking the bus could save $2,167 per year.

Taking the bus

Between the RTD Blue Bus, NMDOT Park and Ride, and Santa Fe Trails, creating a bus commute in Santa Fe County is fairly easy. All of these buses have bicycle racks, so consider combining a bicycle commute with your bus commute.

Biking

Bicycling can contribute to a healthier and more active you while cutting down on emissions and congestions. Need help? Bike Santa Fe can arrange to have your bike tuned-up and made ready to ride. Then, they will send an experienced riding companion to your house or the bus stop at a pre-arranged time to ride with you to your place of work, discuss the best routes, and safety guide you through any tricky parts of your journey. Those outside of Santa Fe can take advantage of this service at a bus stop in Santa Fe. This is offered completely free.

Carpool

A daily commute from Albuquerque to Santa Fe can range from $4,000-$13,000 per year (factoring in wear-and-tear on a vehicle). Even an in-town commute can cost up to $1,000 per year. Cut that cost in half by setting up a carpool with just one person. There are many apps available to assist people with setting up carpooling, some of which can be connected with social media to allow people to vet the potential carpooling partner before setting up the shared ride.

Vanpool

New Mexico Vanpools will provide you with a 15-passenger van for a fee. If you are able to get enough people to participate, the cost of commuting will be substantially lower than the fee. This is a great, cost effective alternative for your daily commute. You can enjoy the convenience of sharing a ride to work with others together in a friendly environment. You'll arrive at work safe, on time and relaxed. But the benefits don't stop there. By vanpooling you can begin to use your commute time productively to catch up on your work, your sleep or the latest best seller.

Need assistance? We offer free sustainability consulting for Santa Fe County residents. Contact our Sustainability Specialist, Neal Denton, at (505) 992-9832 or [bot protected email address].