This week: Commuting
1Car-pooling can knock hundreds of euro off your annual fuel bill. There are loads of websites designed to help people make the right connections, although virtual tumbleweed was blowing through some we checked out last week. Three sites that are worth checking include www.tripmi.ie/, www.dublintraffic.ie/ and www.swiftcommute.ie/.
2The TaxSaver commuter ticket scheme can reduce public transport bills by as much as 47 per cent. Employers provide employees with bus and rail commuter tickets as part of their salary, in lieu of an annual cash bonus, or as a benefit-in-kind so the latter can benefit from reduced tax and PRSI payments.
3The bicycle-to-work scheme covers bicycles and accessories up to a maximum cost of €1,000. Your employer buys the bike and you pay for it, tax-free, over 12 months, which effectively knocks around 40 per cent off the price. Details are available from www.bikescheme.ie.
4If you live within 40 minutes walking distance of your job, forget the bike, the car and the bus, and just hoof it in and out every morning. The exercise will keep you in shape and it costs nothing.
5If you have to drive to work, keep an eye on petrol prices through the always informative www.pumps.ie. It now has a Facebook account to allow users more easily track the price of petrol in their areas.
