When it comes to your family finances, transport costs are likely to be one of the largest contributors to your expenditure – regardless of the method of transport you use. If you’re seeking to tighten your budget or protect your family’s financial future, then reducing your transport costs is a great area to focus on when seeking to achieve these goals.

Below, we’ve put together a list of considerations that are suitable for all families who are looking to spend less on transport. We’ve included a tip for each of the most common forms of transport, which means there should be something for everyone, so without further ado…

Change the way you drive

Switching to a more economical driving style can take some practice, but it’s worth doing. The general rule with this practice is to:

• Brake less; let the car slowly come to a halt by removing your foot from the gas rather than braking.
• Accelerate gently; build the speed gradually rather than using a “pedal to the metal” style.

These techniques, combined with supplementary economic driving tips, could make a noticeable difference to your expenditure on gas.

Change what you drive

Economy driving is all well and good, but it’s somewhat limited by the sheer size and weight of the average car. If you want to truly save money on fuel, then choosing to buy a motorcycle is far more likely to produce superior results than just switching the way you drive in and of itself. Motorcycles are considerably lighter than modern cars, so they naturally use less fuel, which in turn means they benefit from a vastly superior fuel economy. It’s also worth noting that economy driving techniques also work for motorcycles, so you can really increase your fuel savings if you make the switch to two wheels.

Opt for season tickets on public transport

If you use public transport frequently, a season ticket is definitely worth considering. The savings available vary depending on the transport operator, but most season tickets will save you a substantial sum when compared to purchasing individual tickets for each journey.

Never buy rail tickets on the day

If you know you’re going to be making a rail journey in the future, buy your tickets as far in advance as possible. If you purchase your ticket on the day of travel, you will almost always be paying the highest price, so a little forward planning and purchasing can save you a small fortune.

Don’t use taxis

A simple tip, but one worth mentioning given how damaging frequent taxi usage can be to your overall transport budget. Taxis may be convenient, but the cost of this convenience is incredibly steep – wherever possible, plan ahead so you can avoid taxi usage, or explore options such as Uber or Lyft if using a hire car is unavoidable.

A final tip…

The above points are all useful ways of reducing your transport costs, but they all do involve some financial investment. Given that you’re always going to have to spend something, it’s worth considering cashback credit cards and loyalty schemes that can at least provide an additional reward for this expenditure. While these options don’t reduce the price in the moment itself, you can use the points or cashback you accrue to offset future purchases, so they are definitely worth using if available.

In conclusion

Hopefully, the tips above should allow you to lower your family’s transport costs without the need to compromise your ability to make essential journeys – good luck!