Hacker News Reader

Comment by LesZedCB | Hacker News Reader

plus you know the massive personal and societal cost savings of reduced fuel consumption

Perhaps we should instead be researching how to get more fuel cheaper. Much of the “cost” is self inflicted. Gasoline could be almost as cheap as bottled water if we wanted it to be.

Cost also includes negative environmental effects

Its a commonly held belief that private cars are less energy efficient and are less environmentally friendly per passenger mile than mass transit. But that’s a myth. On average the American passenger car is more energy efficient than mass transit. In fact, there are only two mass transit systems in the US more efficient (in cost, energy and carbon) than driving a Prius.

https://theicct.org/planes-trains-and-automobiles-counting-c...

https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-615.pd...

Your first link doesn't support your point.

It's talking about 300-500 mile trips (where you might be choosing plane vs train vs car vs bus) and it assumed 2.2 people in the car, and the bus still gets about 3x the efficiency.

I'm not going to waste my time on some Cato nonsense.

I don’t see either of your sources showing public transit is more fuel intensive than a car. The first report assumes 2.2 people in a car which I don’t think is an actual average and a greyhound bus was 4x more efficient than the car.

> a greyhound bus was 4x more efficient than the car

That's a good scenario for buses because Grayhound can size buses appropriately and change the frequency. The number for buses within a city is trickier because you have some packed commute buses, and some with 3 passengers at 10 PM.

haha what city do you live in where a prius is the average commuter car?

i live in seattle and joke about always being able to see at least one tesla. and still there are at least as many if not more SUVs than fuel efficient commuter cars.

Single data point, but I see a lot of cars around Cincinnati. I’m guaranteed to see another Prius and at least two Teslas every trip more than a few miles from my house.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com