Cost-Effective Ways of Transport -Part 1
[1] MRT vs FX taxis
I have two choices of transport in going to work from Diliman, QC to Ortigas Center. The first one is to take the FX from the EDSA-Quezon Avenue corner, right below the MRT station. It gets me right exactly where I need to be for work, which is right across The Podium.
The other choice is obviously to take the train. I’d get off it at the Shaw Boulevard station, because passing by Shangri-La is less polluted than walking from the Ortigas stop-over. Besides, I get to enter SM Megamall just in case I needed to buy something.
COST ANALYSIS
To get to either MRT or FX, there’s the tricycle from the village (P7), and one jeepney ride from Philcoa (P8). The FX from Q. Ave to Ortigas costs P30, while a one-way train ride from Q. Ave to Shaw Blvd costs P12. MRT is cheaper, and thus gets the 1st point.
The FX gets me there directly, while I have to walk quite a route from the MRT. Mind you, walking can sometimes be tiring. FX scores 1 point for ease.
The FX, though, takes roughly 45 minutes because of the heavy EDSA traffic. The MRT speeds its way in less than 20 minutes. Still, from the train, I have to walk another 20 minutes because walking inside the mall can only be overly-tempting. It’s therefore a draw when time is considered.
So technically, the match is a draw, but since this analysis is about cost-effectiveness, MRT wins by a wide margin! Why so? Because if I take 20 days of work a month, the MRT fare totals P240, while the FX fare costs P600. I saved a whopping 60% from our transport allowance.
Aside from that, if I buy a P100-value MRT ticket, I would have paid for eight P12 rides plus one bonus ride. That should be enough for 9 rides. If I calculate costs for 27 days, the MRT costs P300, while the FX costs P810. It’s 63% savings. In a stretch of a year (almost 240 working days), the total MRT fare costs less than P2,700, while taking the FX will take P7,200. Look at that.
So friends, I suggest we all take the train! We also get to reduce air pollution in Metro Manila, and we have a few minutes of exercise by walking. Not that I’m stating the obvious, because I think everybody is already doing the same, but having this detailed calculation convinced me that the MRT will lessen my transport expenses.
Just my two cents.
hi! i’ve been looking for other routes i could take from shaw blvd to quezon avenue or up to UP Diliman. Would you know if there’s a shuttle available in sm megamall going to q.ave or fairview(would pass by commonwealth ave)?
i’ll try to find out for you tomorrow. for now, why not try the Fairview-bound buses plying along EDSA. They take the same EDSA-East Ave-Circle-Philcoa route.