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Families Cutting Costs > NNY > Transportation

What is your family spending on Transportation?  How can you cut your costs?

Transportation Costs > NNY > Conversations with AI

1. Tell AI about Your Family

Ages of members of your family, describe your home, enter postal code, income range (high, middle, lower).  Do not give AI any personal identification information.  No names, no addresses.

2. Tell AI About Your Transportation Needs

For each member of the family, describe typical use of vehicles and public transit each workday and then on weekends.  Describe vehicles you own, year, model, type of fuel used, and how they are used.  Describe any commuting to/from school and work, how you go to and from shopping, appointments,   

3. Instruct AI to estimate your costs for Transportation and to Suggest Ways to Reduce Costs

"Use the information I have submitted to estimate my family's costs for transportation for a year and suggest ways that we can reduce our costs."

4. Review AI's Response

Did AI give you a reasonable estimate for your costs for the year?  Did AI offer good suggestions on how to reduce costs?

5. Ask for clarification. Let AI know of unsatisfactory responses.

If the estimates are not helpful, explain why, provide more information, such as your estimate of costs.  Are any suggestions "off the wall"?  Ask to explain or clarify.

6. Drill Deeper > Total Cost of Ownership of Vehicles

Tell AI information on your vehicles.  For each, year, model, fuel used, miles driven per year, insurance coverage (deductibles), estimate of annual maintenance, annual fees for license and registration.  Describe car payment: months and payment per month.  Instruct AI to tell you the total cost of ownership of each vehicles and suggest ways to reduce costs and other vehicles to consider that may have lower total costs of ownership.

7. Next > Sharing Rides

For many families, the quickest ways to reduce transportation costs is to share rides, especially for daily trips , e.g, to and from school, work, activities, shopping.  Describe any ride-sharing that your family members do not.  Estimate the percent of your family's travel that uses ride shares.  Estimate use annually for ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft.  Describe use of public transit including buses, light rails, taxi's.  Instruct AI to estimate your current savings from ride-sharing and suggest ways to further reduce costs by using more ride-sharing.

8. Next > Sharing Equipment

For many families, they use their vehicles only a small percentage of the time.  Tell AI about how much of a 24 hour day your vehicles are typically used.  Describe your use of shared equipment, such as rental cars, by the hour, day, or week.  Instruct AI to estimate savings from your use of shared equipment and to suggest ways to further reduce costs by using more ride-sharing..

9. Next > E-Mobility

Tell AI your experience with electric vehicles and electric mobility -- bikes, scooters, motorcycles.  Describe your electric panel: does it have capacity for a 50 amp circuit for a Level 2 EV Charger?  Describe your home and driveway and garage.  Is there space for an EV charger.  Instruct AI to estimate your total costs of ownership for a gas vehicle vs. an electric vehicle.

10. Solar Energy to Power Your Electric Vehicle

Describe any solar, wind, or geothermal energy used in your home.  Describe any reports for using alternative energy.  Describe your potential for solar energy production on site:  southern exposure on roof lines and/or for ground-mounted solar arrays.  Instruct AI to estimate costs for installing alternative energy and payback period for any investments in alternative energy, based not on replacing electricity for your home but gasoline for your car.

Examples > NNY > ChatGPT > Transportation Costs

Total Cost of Ownership

Total Cost of Ownership

Total Cost of Ownership

  • Ford 150 XLT EV
  • Ford 150 XLT Gas

Commuting Cost

Total Cost of Ownership

Total Cost of Ownership

  • Subaru Gas - 1 passenger plus parking
  • Ride Share (3 passengers) 

Equipment Share Costs

Cost of Fuel Per Kilometer

Cost of Fuel Per Kilometer

  • Communauto
  • Typical SUV

Cost of Fuel Per Kilometer

Cost of Fuel Per Kilometer

Cost of Fuel Per Kilometer

  • E-bike
  • Public Transit
  • Gasoline powered car

Examples of Possible Ways to Reduce Transportation Cost

Reduce

New Tactics

New Tactics

  • Drive Less.  Do you really need to drive there?
  • Drive when less traffic
  • Walk, bicycle, use public transit


New Tactics

New Tactics

New Tactics

  • Track transportation usage by family members in app
  • Use lower cost fuel that may be electric powered at night with lower cost power or your own solar

Collaborate

New Tactics

Collaborate

  • Share Rides
  • Share Equipment
  • Share EV chargers and vehicles

Implementing Suggestions to Cut Costs

Do any of the suggestions seem worth trying?  See if any are in our current list of Family Cost Cutting Challenges.  There are tips on how to get started.

Family Cost Cutting Challenges

Families Cutting Costs by Better Choices Here

Colton, NY & Ottawa, CA

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