Recent news from the Star SPAD Seeks to Increase Public Transoprt Fares will give many gloomy face. With the fuel price and public transport fees hiking, it is not easy to survive in the city. Not mentioning the withdrawal petrol subsidy next year and GST implementation, it certainly adds burden to middle income class group especially those fresh graduates who have minimal income but incur similar hike in expenses like others without any "give out" from government.
Here are 7 simple tips for you to save some cents on transportation costs.
Budgeting
You could start by thinking of how much you spend regularly on transportation. Personally, I drive to LRT station and take LRT to my workplace on weekdays. The parking fees at the LRT station is RM 4 per day and the return trip of LRT is RM4.20 per day. Also, I will need to refill RM30 petrol weekly. This sums up to RM 284, roughly 10% of my salary on transportation per month!
Here's the tip, if you are using LRT for almost RM 100 per month, you might as well using unlimited pass which cap your usage at RM100.
Think of how much you spend will give you a rough idea on how much you use. Thus, you will make more careful driving plan to prevent unnecessary trips. For example, run multiple errands on one go instead of several different trips.
Planning
I have make it a habit to refill my petrol tank on weekends every week to enjoy 5% cashback from Maybank Amex. If I know what is ahead, then I could fill my tank as necessary on prior.
It also helps me to keep track my fuel usage.
Avoid driving in rush hour
If your working time is flexible, you might as well choose not to come to office during rush hour. Perhaps come into office 30 minutes later or earlier.
Car pool
On weekends outing, take turns to offer rides between friends, so that only one car is used each time. Once, two friends and I drove 3 cars to meet up which is a huge waste. Make it a habit to car pool.
Send your car to regular maintenance
An efficient engine could use fuel more efficiently. Also, it promotes road safety and avoids towing your car if it breaks down in the middle of the road.
Avoid putting heavy things in the bonnet
Heavy things such as golf equipment and children pram should not be kept long term in your bonnet. You will have to step harder on your accelerator if your car is heavy.
Maintain your tyres pressure
Flat tyres consume more fuel and make your car feels draggy. Check pressure table on the right of the driver seat to find out the optimum pressure.
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