Unpopular opinion: buying a monthly transit pass changed how I take the bus more than any app ever did
For about 3 years I tapped my card each ride and never thought twice about it, just paid the $2.75 every time I got on the 21 bus in Portland. Then a coworker at the store pointed out I was spending around $110 a month, so I tried the $100 monthly pass in January. Now I hop off two stops early just to grab coffee because the ride is already paid for, and I take the bus on weekends too. Does anyone else find that prepaying actually changes which trips you take, or is it just me?
Wait, that jump from $110 to a flat $100 is barely any savings, so is it really the money that changed your trips or is it more that swiping a card every time made you feel the cost in your gut? Like with the pass it becomes a sunk cost you already swallowed, so the next ride feels free. I wonder if you had a pass that was the same price as what you were spending, would you still ride more? That would tell you if it's the prepaying itself or just the fact that you stopped noticing each $2.75.