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Transportation is very important to our way of life, but can become expensive when more attention is paid to where you are going over how you are going to get there.  There are many different ways to save money on transportation to local areas and far away destinations and using these solutions can result in hundreds of dollars in savings each year.

Purchasing A Car? Buy Used.

Many people know that a new car loses a considerable portion of its value once it has been purchased and driven off of the lot, but they do not know that a new car loses most of its value in the first few years.  Savvy shoppers allow others to absorb this loss and choose to purchase used cars that are several years old.  A used car that is less than 5 years old has depreciated in value but is still new enough to possess many of the latest security and electronic features, meaning you can get much more car for significantly less money.

Explore Public Transportation

Public transportation is a good way to get to one place to another for a fraction of the amount that it would take each person to drive individually.  Most cities have public buses, subways, and streetcars that run on a regular schedule and arrive at most points around the city.  Even individuals that own cars can save money by using public transportation for trips that do not require special considerations, such as transporting a large amount of items or traveling to a place where public transportation is not easily accessible. 

Consolidate Trips

Instead of running each of your errands at different times on different days, you should consolidate all of your errands into a single run on a single day.  That way, you are not wasting gas by returning to your home after every trip.  You will save even more if you carefully plan your errands so that you are not retracing parts of your route.  Even though the errands will take longer to run on that day, you will be saving time, gas, and wear on your car by consolidating all of your errands into a single trip.

Choose Non-Peak Times To Travel

Transportation will always cost you more if you are traveling at a peak time, including if you are driving a car or flying on a plane.  Tickets for certain types of transportation during peak times can be more than twice as much as for travel during non-peak times.  Drivers that choose to use traffic congested roads and highways during peak travel times will find themselves wasting both time and gas idling in traffic waiting for their turn to go.