Last week, I took a daytrip to Boston to meet with a great new client. It’s a freelance computer programmer’s dream gig: reliable work, little to no project management overhead, coworkers I genuinely like and trust. Plus, I get to telecommute most of the time, with an occasional on-site visit to a city I really like. What could be better?

I’d initially planned to make the trip via car for this first meeting, but then the ecological stupidity of that idea hit me. There’s a perfectly great bus line that runs between Portland, Maine and Boston on a reliable and frequent schedule. I’ve taken that bus enough times to know the strategies for getting a seat to myself. And it’s a pleasant ride – I get to watch a movie, or read, or just stare out the window. Besides, if I have to make the commute, I might as well save some carbon emissions and make the trip with other people!

Also, have any of you readers ever driven in Boston? In rush hour? When I lived in Boston, I almost never drove anywhere, especially not in Southie, where the office is located. I must have been out of my head, planning to drive. So I took the bus, for environmental reasons as well for my personal sanity.

But to keep my frugal self happy, I kept a running tally of the total transportation expense.

Here’s what I could have paid.
If I’d driven from Portland to Alewife Station, which has a parking garage: 112 miles. Using the 2007 IRS mileage rate of 48.5 cents per mile, that’s $54.32. Round-trip, a total cost of $108.64.

Tolls are less of an issue since I have an EZ Pass, but it still would have cost me $8.70 round trip.
Parking at Alewife Station now costs $5/day.
And the MBTA fare, round-trip: $4. This could have been slightly cheaper if I’d planned ahead.

Total potential cost of driving this daytrip: $126.34. I may as well have flown to Boston for that price.

Here’s my actual cost:
Cost of driving to the the bus station, round-trip: $3.30.
Parking at the bus station in Portland: $3
Round-trip busfare on Concord Trailways: $31
(There’s a significant discount for a same-day round trip purchased on the date of travel. Hooray!)
MBTA fare, round-trip: $4
Total round-trip cost for transportation: a measly $41.30.

And the time each way?
With the bus, it’s a 10 minute drive to the station, 2 hours on the bus, 10 minutes on the T, and a 5 minute walk to the office. 2 hours, 55 minutes door to door.

If I had driven, it would have been 2 hours 15 minutes to Alewife Station, 25 minutes on the T, and the same 5 minute walk. 2 hours, 45 minutes door to door. Realistically, that 10 minute difference would have been eaten up easily by Boston rush hour traffic.

So basically, by making the more ecologically sound choice, I saved just over $85. And on the way down, I watched The Queen, with Helen Mirren. I love Helen Mirren. On the way back, I got to take a nice long nap.

Saving the planet, a lot of money, and my own personal sanity? Priceless. Absolutely.

What ecological choices do you make that also save you a few bucks?