I spent the better part of my weekend, and this morning’s commute, thinking about public transportation. A year ago, when Mrs. sirhc and I moved to North County, I investigated public transportation; specifically, the Coaster. At the time it wasn’t worth it. There are too many days—karate, game night, user group meetings—I’d still need my car. The combination of that and the cost of the Coaster pass made it prohibitively expensive.

Well, now I’m paying over $4 per gallon on fuel for said car. It is time again to evaluate the Coaster. I would need a “2 zone” pass, which costs $126 per month. At $4 per gallon, that’s 31.5 gallons of gasoline. I burn approximately two gallons of gasoline per day on my commute, or 10 gallons per week, or approximately 40 gallons per month. The Coaster is becoming more attractive every day.

I live 7.8 miles from the Carlsbad Poinsettia Coaster station, a distance I could cycle to save even more fuel (and get some exercise). Regardless, even parking my car at the station, I would be reducing my commute by over 28 miles per day. I’d still need to drive for game nights and user group meetings, but the majority of my time would be spent on the train.

I don’t usually drive my morning commute in heavy traffic, opting to leave the house early to avoid it. However, it’s difficult to find a time of day to return home that will avoid traffic (except for really late after game night). While the train will likely add to the overall time of my commute, the lower mileage on my car and the benefit to my sanity will probably make up for it.

Qualcomm makes the deal even sweeter. The company subsidizes 25% of the Coaster pass, bringing the cost down to $94.50, and allows me to pay for it with pre-tax money from my paycheck. The only catch is, to receive a pass I need to apply for it by the first day of the month prior to the month the pass is for. For example, to have received a pass for June, I would have needed to apply by the first of May. So, while I could buy a full priced pass for either May or June (I don’t know if the passes are pro-rated), I couldn’t receive the subsidized pass until July.

I’m looking forward to trying out the Coaster. I may really enjoy it, being able to work or read on my commute. The time wouldn’t be wasted behind the wheel of my car.