# How many gallons of gas do you use for transportation per month? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 9, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647 "2010-08-09T00:26:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/21 "2010-08-09T14:49:11Z")
**Projammer** - I come up with a different total for you. 30 mile round-trip for work is 150 miles per week. Add an extra 50 for running around (could be less but the number is even). Multiply X 4 weeks. 800 miles per month. Divide by 40 mpg and you’re at 20 gallaons per month. I’m at about 90. I drive about 1800 miles per month (round-trip commute is 65 miles) and get 22 mpg. StG ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/22 "2010-08-09T15:18:27Z")
Zero – I drive a diesel (Audi A3 TDI) which gets 30 to 35 mpg in town, 40 on the highway. Daily commute is just under 10 miles one-way. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/23 "2010-08-09T15:21:30Z")
You are correct **StGermain**. I read the poll as how many gallons a week. No excuse, just wasn’t paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/24 "2010-08-09T17:28:54Z")
I work from home, so I don’t use too much gas - but I make a trip to Mom’s every big holiday and at least one of my doctor’s is 2 1/2 hour drive away. I don’t see him too often, but it is a mixed bag. I’m guessing I fill up less than twice a month, so less than 20. But I threw in “extras” just in case and said 20-30. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/25 "2010-08-09T17:34:14Z")
12.5 gallon tank, filled from empty twice a month. I commute about 25 miles each way. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/26 "2010-08-09T18:06:53Z")
I average around 1200 miles/month, so that puts me right around 42 gallons. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/27 "2010-08-09T18:47:52Z")
1000 miles/month, 20mpg, 50 gallons. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/28 "2010-08-10T22:27:23Z")
I answered 11-20 gallons because: 1. My work commute Monday-Friday is by train, as is my “fun” trip downtown on most Saturdays. These trips are wholly by train and foot. Although the trains are diesel-powered (Metra), they’re quite full even off-peak and weekends, so I doubt my share of the train fuel is significant. 2. I drive my 12-year-old Ford Escort sedan only two days a week, and one of those days is for a short errand. I use about one 12-gallon tank of gas a month. My **goal** is to go a month between fill-ups, and I always wait until the “low fuel” light has been on for a while. In practice, I go anywhere between 20 and 30 days on a tank of gas. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/29 "2010-08-10T22:30:34Z")
Mid-twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/30 "2010-08-11T16:58:32Z")
I wasn’t sure if it was 1-5 or 6-10 ( guessed the latter). My car is about 3 1/4 years old and has 9500 km, so that is, say 3000 km, maybe 2000 miles a year. It probably averages about 30 mpg, so that is, say, 70 gallons a years, which is around 6 gal/month. But in fact, much of that is driving between Montreal and NYC, which uses roughly 25 gallons per trip and I usually make two a year. I didn’t buy gas between January and June, when I put in about 35 litres (9 gallons) and my tank is now about 2/3 full. I leave for NYC Friday and I will buy gas over the border (where it is about 25% cheaper), fill it in NJ just before getting to NY and then near the border on the way home. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/31 "2010-08-11T17:32:23Z")
About 50 Gallons per month. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/32 "2010-08-11T21:43:55Z")
1600 miles/month @ 27mpg = 57 gallons ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/33 "2010-08-12T00:46:34Z")
I mostly walk or bike, but do sometimes take a bus. But every municipal bus around here runs on CNG, so I can pretty legitimately say none. > [@Reply](#): > > I bike everywhere and don’t drive at all most months. > > [slight tangent] > But the food I eat gets shipped in from around the world, and I may have to eat more of it to offset the human energy I use (or at least that’s my excuse for eating as much as I do). > > Does producing and transporting the food that fuels my metabolism end up using less gas than solo drivers? Carpools? Bus riders? Damned if I know. I also wonder if the energy spent producing and transporting my bike (and subsequent maintenance parts) will ever recoup its efficiency versus walking… > [/tangent] Except for this. I do try to eat local, and really the per-mile energy cost for a bicycle even considering construction and maintenance and such is pretty damn low. I mean, sure, you might eat a little bit more - but that extra box of crackers is on a truck that’s going from place A to place B regardless, and you’re not driving to and from the grocery store to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/34 "2010-08-12T01:08:50Z")
I put 6-10. My car gets about 32mpg and I live about a mile from my office. In general though, I ride my bicycle to work. Of course, there are some months were I use more because I live in a town that has no 24 hour grocery store, so I have to drive about 38 miles round-trip to get to a Kroger, but that only happens about once a month. Most of the other is running from my house to my other family around town (it is a 2 sq. mile town, so yeah, not a lot). Brendon Small ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647/35 "2010-08-12T12:10:22Z")
I fill up usually twice a month, 18 litres each time. (It’s an early Smart with a 22 litre tank) This will cover my 400 mile/month commute. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-gallons-of-gas-do-you-use-for-transportation-per-month/549647.md?page=1)