Metro Atlanta commuters might have a new reason to consider carpooling or alternative forms of transportation.
A new survey from AAA finds that the average cost of driving climbed 1.9 percent in the past year, to nearly 60 cents a mile.
In metro Atlanta, where the Clean Air Campaign estimates an average daily commute of 35 miles, that's $21 a day and $5,250 annually if you work 250 days in the year.
"The average driving cost for 2012 is up due to relatively large increases in fuel and tire costs, and more moderate increases in other areas," said John Nielsen, AAA director of automotive engineering and repair. "Those increases were offset by a decrease in depreciation resulting in an overall increase of 1.9 percent."
The cost of fuel rose 14.8 percent for the year, to 14.2 cents a mile for sedan drivers, AAA found. Tire costs, meanwhile, rose 4.2 percent to 1 cent per mile. Maintenance costs rose 0.7 percent while insurance costs rose 3.4 percent. The cost of depreciation fell 4.9 percent.
The news is worse for minivan and SUV drivers, who pay 63 cents and 75.7 cents a mile, respectively. Small sedan drivers pay only 45 cents a mile, AAA found.
AAA has conducted the cost-of-driving survey since 1950, when the average cost was 9 cents a mile.
MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris said the numbers demonstrate the value of public transportation.
“Regardless of whether gas prices go up or down, MARTA is always an affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly travel option for everyone in metro Atlanta," he said. "A recent survey by the American Public Transportation Association found that you can save about $800 a month – or about $10,000 a year – by using transit instead of commuting by car. No matter how you slice it, that’s a lot of money."
Harris said MARTA offers an online calculator to determine commuting costs.
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