You need to factor in all the costs of having car

A RECENT contributor appears to make a valid comparison regarding the cost of taking a family into town and paying car park fees, as opposed to buying multiple bus tickets, coming down in favour of the former (“It cannot be right that car is cheaper than bus”, Mailbox January 17).

This, however, implies that you already own a car. What is missing from this equation is the cost of buying/replacing a car, depreciation, servicing, road tax, insurance, fuel and any other items needing occasional replacement, such as tyres, antifreeze and wiper blades.

Factor these in and, surprisingly, sometimes it is cheaper to go by taxi on shorter journeys, and in so doing reduce your personal carbon footprint.

I know several local people who have already sold their cars and now ring for taxis – only don’t try it during school start and leaving times!

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