Putting away the money saved due to cheaper fuel is not a priority for Kasirajan Kanakavel, an executive in the logistics industry in Chennai. Instead, he is going for more comfort in his daily commute.

“I used to travel by car three years ago, but as petrol prices shot up I started taking the public transport,” he says. Daily car travel meant an extra ₹3,500 per month which he felt was excessive.

Instead he chose to take an auto every morning from his house to the suburban station, catch the electric train and then take a share auto to work. 

But now, for an additional expense of ₹1,500 or so per month, his travel is more relaxed.

“I used to arrive at the workspot in wrinkled clothes after the morning commute. Now, I reach office neatly dressed and feel quite fresh,” he says. His commute time is unchanged at around 45 minutes, but the hassle of using multiple modes of transport is now avoided. 

Kasirajan opted for a petrol car rather than a diesel one to save on the EMI. “The monthly EMI for a compact diesel car was around ₹10,000, higher than ₹6,000 for its petrol equivalent. I decided to contain my monthly outgo by opting for the cheaper petrol version and driving less. Not just to work, lower fuel costs means driving rather than taking the train for vacations as well.

Kasirajan is thinking of driving his family to their native town of Madurai, which is around 450 km from Chennai. “Making a train reservation is getting too troublesome. And if my cousins also join in, then four or five of us can just drive down. It will not be prohibitively expensive, at the same time much more comfortable for all.” But what will he do when petrol prices start to pinch again?

Kasirajan says he will opt for public transport. "I calculate my budget and do a trade-off. If the cost is excessive and the hassle is manageable, I will opt not to spend,” he explains.

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