One way to evaluate whether to buy a car is to weigh the cost of ownership against the amount of time saved ("'Significant rebates' needed to drive off-peak scheme"; last Sunday).

For me, the main purpose of owning a car is to save time.

My drive to my office typically takes 35 minutes.

If I were to take public transport, I would have to walk to the bus stop, take a bus to the MRT station, transfer to a train, then walk to my office building.

Including the waiting time, and assuming the train does not break down, the journey would take me about 70 minutes - double the time taken compared to going by car.

Thus, on an average weekday, I would spend an extra hour or so travelling for a round trip to work, if I take public transport. This works out to almost 230 hours (almost 10 days) a year.

This also does not take into account non-work-related trips made during off-peak hours, when there is a longer waiting time for buses and trains.

Therefore, the question that should be asked is: How much is one's time worth?

I would gladly give up my car only if the time taken for my journey on public transport does not exceed 11/2 times that of a similar trip by car.

Yeo Chee Kean