Transportation big cost for Islanders

Transportation is the second highest expense item for Prince Edward Islanders, according to Statistics Canada, but the expense won't convince a Charlottetown woman to give up her car.

Transportation takes a big bite out of budgets, and with the fluctuating price of gasoline it can be a volatile item as well.

But for Tanya Yammine, getting a car was a big part of becoming independent.

"I didn't want to ask my Dad for drives. I was 18 and I was done of high school and I was just, 'Yes I have a car!'" Yammine told CBC News.

But some months keeping her 14-year-old car on the road costs Yammine half of the take-home pay from her minimum-wage job. Before repairs, the overall cost of owning and driving her caris a little more than $500 a month.Those costs went up after an accident last year.

"I rear-ended someone, and then obviously it was my fault," said Yammine.

"The other people got their car looked at and I guess they had a lot of problems, so it made my insurance go up higher. So, yeah, it like skyrocketed."

Expensive, but necessary

In addition to the ongoing costs, Yammine estimates her car will need about $1,000 worth of repairs in order to pass inspection and get ready for winter.

'All that money goes to just one thing.' Tanya Yamine

While it is a big expense, Yammine is not prepared to give up her car. For one thing, she needs it to get to work. She lives in Charlottetown but works shifts in Cornwall, sometimes starting early in the morning or working late into the evening.

"There would be so many things I couldn't do and I would always be asking people for a drive, calling cabs, and things like that. I would rather just have my own car," she said.

At the same time she understands there are things she is giving up.

"All that money goes to just one thing where I could spend it in so many other places," she said.

"I know I missed a friend's birthday because I didn't have money because it was all going to my car."

Yammine has about a year left on her car loan. She hopes once that's paid off she might be able to go back to school. Whatever her future holds, she views her car as a necessity that she'll always have to find the money for.

According to Statistics Canada transportation costs on P.E.I. have risen ten percent over the last five years. That includes the cost of owning or renting a vehicle, insurance, public transportation, gas, fees etc.