http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Tag: TotallyUnscientific - Recent Topics en Tue, 19 May 2026 15:15:55 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=17718#post-249148 Fri, 05 May 2017 21:33:41 +0000 Klaxon 249148@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Fimm made a post in the taxi topic pontificating about how much taxi use would you need to make before it is uneconomical vice a car. </p> <p>I had my last car for about six years. Let's calculate whole of life costs</p> <p>120 tax - £720<br /> 250 servicing (averaged, some very expensive years and some cheap) - £1500<br /> 60 MOT (I think) - £360<br /> 400 insurance - £2400<br /> 120 breakdown cover - £720<br /> My purchase price depreciation was about £6000 and I paid about £800 (guess) in loan interest<br /> I'm not going to consider parking cost at home or at work. </p> <p>Total static costs: £12500 or £2083/year<br /> Fuel cost was about 20p / mile</p> <p>(n * 0.2 + 2083) / n</p> <p>So 1000 miles is £2.28/mi or £2280 or £43/wk<br /> 2500 is £1.03/mile or £2575 or £49/wk<br /> 5000 is 61p/mile or £3050 or £58/wk<br /> 10000 is 40p/mile or £4038 or £77/wk</p> <p>Even at 10,000 miles a year, every year (which I didn't do), over half the cost of ownership would have still been the standing costs. This was ultimately my biggest motivator in me selling up.</p> <p>The taxi rate table is rather more complex in permutations, but let's assume cheapest entry (£2.10) and £2.17/mile thereafter and they never get stuck in traffic</p> <p>2 rtn journeys a week at 5 miles (a trip to out of town shopping centre) would cost £25.9/wk or £1346/yr or £2.58/mile<br /> 4 rtn journeys a week at 3 miles (take kids to after school activities) would cost £34/wk or £1790/yr or £2.86/mile<br /> 10 rtn journeys a week at 2 miles (a commute from Ferry Rd to New Town) would cost £64.4/wk or £3348/yr or £3.21/mile</p> <p>A car becomes economical compared to a taxi very quickly, if you consider many people will want to do all three of the above, plus occasional other trips. </p> <p>I shall compare to public transport</p> <p>A Lothian bus pass costs £600/yr or £11.5/wk</p> <p>Two adult and two child passes are £1800/yr or £34/wk</p> <p>This is pretty good by comparison. With careful home choice close, one can commute by bus and never need to drive. </p> <p>And the cost of running a bike</p> <p>A middle market bike has say a £500 purchase price, 5 year life before you n+1 it and £40 a year in upkeep. Sell for £80. </p> <p>£124/yr or £2.38/wk. Even less if you DIY maintenance and keep it longer.</p> <p>You have a family and want take them all places and make big trips to the supermarket and Screwfix?</p> <p>An Urban Arrow costs £3300 according to their website, and let's say £120 a year in upkeep (servicing and leccy, maybe a new battery after 3 years? total guess). You're going to keep it til it dies (uh, estimate 6 years for the sake of this example)</p> <p>£670/yr or £12/wk. It's a quarter of a price of a low use urban car over whole of life, and the majority of this is front loaded in the purchase price.</p> <p>Methinks the bicycle wins! </p>