Question

Charter-A-Bus charges $50 plus $0.40 a mile renting a charter bus. Buses-4-U charges $35 plus $0.55 a mile. For what number of miles is Buses-4-U the less expensive company for renting a charter bus?

A) More than 25 miles
B) Less than 25 miles
C) 25 miles or fewer
D) 25 miles or more

Answer 1

By setting up an inequality to compare the total costs and solve for the number of miles, it is found that Buses-4-U is less expensive than Charter-A-Bus for trips less than 100 miles.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find out for which number of miles Buses-4-U is the less expensive option compared to Charter-A-Bus, we need to compare the total costs from both companies and find at which point one becomes cheaper than the other.

Let's denote the number of miles as m. The total cost for Charter-A-Bus can be represented as $50 + $0.40m, and for Buses-4-U it's $35 + $0.55m.

We set up the inequality $35 + $0.55m < $50 + $0.40m to find when Buses-4-U is cheaper. Solving the inequality:

• $35 + $0.55m < $50 + $0.40m
• $0.55m - $0.40m < $50 - $35
• $0.15m < $15
• m < 100 miles

Therefore, Buses-4-U is less expensive for any trip that is less than 100 miles.