BUS STORY # 427 (Busboy’s Annual Pass: Was It Worth It?)

In a word: yes. It was worth it.

I’ll get to the spreadsheet above in just a minute, but let me refer back to this time last year, when, after weighing the pros and cons, I decided to buy an annual bus pass. (You can read that story here.)

The big pro was I could save a lot of money. The big con was I had to use the bus enough times to save money.  The big question was would I really use the bus enough times to make buying a pass worth it.

After deciding to try the annual pass, I also decided to keep a record of my rides to calculate the actual number of boardings and the net gain or loss on my $90.00 up-front purchase price. I posted the results in spreadsheet form monthly, on one of the side links. (You can see December’s there now.)

The spreadsheet above is the cumulative 2014 record of trips, expenses, and savings. It shows my gamble was definitely worth it: I saved $113.00 (bottom of last column on the right, Gain/Loss). I used the bus enough times: 580 boardings (bottom of the second column from the left: # of Times Used).

I also kept track of the routes I used (second column from the left). That was just for my own curiosity.

Using only my own starting and finishing route, the 11, I came out ahead $16.05. From left to right, the 303 times I used the 11 at $0.35 a ride equals $106.05. Minus the $90.00 I paid for the pass equals $16.05. That’s how the spreadsheet works.

No surprise to me the Red Line, one of the three Rapid Ride lines, was my second most-used route.

My greatest disappointment: I’d hoped to ride more lines than I did. On the other hand, I had four first-timers: routes 1, 2, 10, and 157. One of these days, I’ll need or want to get to where one of the other routes goes. It’s good to know that, most of the time, I can get there from here.

I will definitely be buying another annual pass. But I won’t be keeping track of my rides anymore. I’ve proven that, for me, it’s a savvy investment.