Bartz's Law of Hokey Horsepuckery
The more ridiculous a belief system, the higher the probability of its success.
Transport Costs
Here is an analysis of travel costs in our country - specifically in my city,
Chennai. It just goes on to prove that public transport is the cheapest of them all.
It is quite some time that I have done any research. My previous one on the
Optimisation of Alarm Clocks was well accepted. I am hoping this one would gain favor too.
I have compared 6 different modes of transport (Although I am not including the ubiquitous Nadaraja Walking service and the 2 Wheeled Cyclotron), buses, autos, two wheelers, four wheelers, planes (yes, planes) and of course trains. First some basic ground rules:
- Basis : I am comparing on the basis of cost per kilometer of journey.
- Buses : I have used the costs incurred in travelling in my City (local buses) and the long distance buses (eg: Chennai to Pondicherry, 140km). It must be said that public bus transport charges in Tamil Nadu are the lowest among all the states.
- Trains : I am basing it on Sleeper Second Class (of course I cant use Shatabdi for comparison), for long distance trains (Chennai to Delhi, 2100km) and Second Class for Sub - Urban.
- Autos and Taxis : Autos are the devils' mode of transport; Taxis are the Dragons mode. The results here are summarised from various nitemarish journeys me and my friends/relatives have undergone with a lot of torture in my city. I would also like to remind you that Chennai City has one of the highest auto transport costs.
- Two Wheelers : I am assuming that normal two wheelers with normal riders and not those show-offs; hence I presume a mileage of 50-60 kmpl.
- Four Wheelers : Same as the case with four wheelers, and I am assuming AC's are turned on giving a mileage of 12kmpl in city conditions.
- Planes (Boy, aren't u surprised) : Obviously, I am taking the sample as Economy Class, Chennai - Delhi, very advanced booking resulting in a fare of Rs 3800. Other flights have similar ranges.
Disclaimer : These are my test results and cannot and will not be subjected to questioning. Anybody objecting to my line of reasoning here is welcome to put comments
So here are the results cost wise.
TRAVEL COSTS
| Mode of Transport | Cost per Kilometer of Travel |
|---|
| Trains (long distance) | 25p - 50p |
| Buses (long distance) | 33p - 1 Re |
| Trains (suburban) | 40p - 1 Re |
| Buses (local) | 50p - 1 Re |
| Two Wheelers | 60p - 65p |
| Planes | 1.75 Rs - 2.5 Rs |
| Four Wheelers | 2.5 Rs - 3 Rs |
| Autos | 8 Rs - 10 Rs |
| Taxis (call taxi) | 8 Rs - 12 Rs |
Well, from the above, it can be clearly seen that those people enjoying the comfort of autos while travelling suffer the worst - according to me. And that public transport is the best... I always prefer taking the bus or train anywhere, and I dont mind being a but huddled up.
The surprising fact is, many have not yet realised that air transport is cheaper than private four wheeler transport - Enigmatic, isn't it?
Also, travelling by public transport saves a lot of fuel, and if an alternative energy source is not found in another 2 decades, all the vehicles above and hence the world will screech to a halt.
Thats that for now.
I wish to do more research like these. Any pointers and ideas ????
