In Brisbane, petrol prices continue to rise. Everyone feels the impact as higher fuel prices means it costs more to fill up the car. But what can you do about it? We’ve put a few quick and simple ideas together, as well as some long- term solutions to expensive fuel.
Quick fixes for fuel savings
Calculate your annual fuel costs and research your car's fuel efficiency. How many litres of fuel does it take to drive 100 kilometres? You might be surprised and even more motivated to cut back on unnecessary trips.
School travel
A lot of travel is spent driving children to school. If your child goes to a local school, could they walk to school, even once or twice a week? Maybe a "walking school bus" would work in your school community. Parents take it in turns to walk groups of school children to school. It gets everyone walking, saves petrol and reduces parking problems around many schools.
You could car pool with other parents too.
Or maybe public transport for the older students in your family would be a cheaper option. Find if there are special public transport routes for your child's school and if you are eligible for the School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS).
Car pooling
Initiate a car pool in your workplace. It doesn’t have to be every day, even one day a week will give you fuel savings. See the car pooling tips provided by the Transport Department.
Cycle or walk
Take advantage of the hundreds of cycle ways or bike paths all over Brisbane. You’ll get fit and reduce costs at the same time.
Or, even simpler, walk! If you normally drive to get a loaf of bread and newspaper, walk to the shop instead. Many short driving trips could be walked. Apparently 10% of car trips are less than one kilometre and could be done on two feet instead of four wheels.
Use local services
Shop, play and eat locally. The less travel you do, the cheaper it will be (as well as better for the environment). Find some of the facilities close by in your neighbourhood.
Find cheap fuel
Find where the cheapest fuel is in Brisbane. Take advantage of any fuel savings through discounts offered by major supermarkets.
Longer term solutions
Buying a new car
If you’ve got a gas guzzler for a car, you might want to think about buying a more fuel efficient car. The green vehicle guide has a fuel consumption database and compares new cars by their greenhouse and air pollution emissions. Think about swapping six cylinders for four as you'll save on registration costs as well. Or investigate the benefits of switching to diesel or Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG).
When buying a new car, look at the fuel consumption label that must be displayed. The lower the number the better. Even small differences will add up to big savings in petrol, pollution and money over time.
Find your perfect car at carsguide.
Relocating
How long is your commute to work? If it costs a lot to drive to work, how much you could save if you lived closer? This means either moving house or changing jobs.
Both are big steps but if you were considering making a change, then it may save you in the long run to have your home and work in the same area.
Downsizing
Does your family really need two cars? Think about whether it would be possible to use just one, with a bike or scooter for short, single trips. You’ll not only save petrol costs but you won’t have to pay multiple registration, insurance and maintenance costs.
Holidays
If you used to enjoy long road trip style holidays, think about taking a break closer to home. We’ve got heaps of information about beautiful places to visit and holidays in South East Queensland, only an hour or two away.
Fun!
You might need to accept that you need to spend more on fuel than you have in the past. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun any more. Take a look at our monthly ideas for free things to do.
Thanks for the interesting info's. We are likely to feel desperate hearing higher gas prices so we should do some necessary measures to address this problem like
ways to improve gas mileage. Hypermiling techniques is also one factor.