Burn calories, not fuel: cycling to work
First of all I must say I'm a very lucky guy being born in the country with the best cycling infrastructure in the world (The Netherlands) and the ability to purchase a bicycle so I can make good use of it too.
In these insecure times where the global oil prices are skyrocketing, cycling might be a good alternative for some of you. I was inspired to write this post by a comment from @thekittygirl in the Hive Discord Server yesterday.
(I don't have the image credits)
The price of fuel
A large part of the fuel price in The Netherlands consist of taxes. The government uses these taxes both to generate revenue and to discourage fuel consumption. About 60% of the fuel price goes direcly into the treasury.
A lot of people living near the borders of Germany or Belgium drive to gas stations across the border to save some money.
And the war in Iran didn't make it better. When I passed a gas station today (by bicycle 😉) I noticed the price was € 2,41 !!! That is $ 2.76 !!!
It will cost you 120 euros to fill up a 50 liter tank. Crazy!
Trains
Apart from the great cycling network, we also have a quite extensive railroad network. Major cities are connected and during rush hours there are good connections. Most trains ride at least twice an hour.
But the train tickets are also subject to inflation. The Dutch national railway company was 'forced' to raise their prices with 6,5% this year due to increased costs.
The 11,3 kilometer trip from station to station to get me to work costs € 3,70 now. This is a 12 minute train ride. I remember it was € 2,50 just a few years ago. This means that going by train to work costs me € 7,40 a day.
And you know what the fun part is? The bike route to my work mostly runs alongside the railway. As you can see in a photo from last week, I’m just being overtaken by the train here.
Saving money
I'm not doing it for the money and I haven't calculated the purchase of my bicycle, clothing and maintenance, but I thought it would be funny to see what I'm saving on a yearly basis by cycling to work.
I've estimated that I cycle to work about 120 days a year. The distance (one way) to the office by car is 16 kilometers.
When a car rides 1 on 15 it would use 2,14 liter fuel for a roundtrip. With the current price of the fuel it would cost me € 5,13 a day. This is quite a bit cheaper than the € 7,40 a day it costs me to go by train.
Car: € 5,13 * 120 days = € 615.6 a year
Train: € 7,40 * 120 days = a whopping € 888,- a year!
Not bad at all!
Conclusion
It might not have been an entirely serious comment from @thekittygirl, but if you live in a country with good and safe cycling infrastructure, have a bicycle or the finances to buy one, and your workplace isn't too far away, cycling to work might not even be such a crazy idea at all.
And in this blog I've only been focusing on the financial aspect of it. I haven't even touched on the benefits it brings for physical and mental health.
Burning calories and clearing your mind after work are also great advantages of commuting by bicycle.
So if you have the chance... go for a bicycle ride!
I’d love to hear your thoughts about my blog. Feel free to share your perspective in the comments.
Friendlymoose
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Greetings,
What a great perspective!
I love cycling through the city. It's fascinating how your cycling commute saves money compared to both car and train, even without factoring in health benefits.
How do you manage the raining days when you are outside on your bicycle?
Yes, rainy days aren't that much fun. If it doesn't rain to hard, I put on a rain coat and go cycling anyways. I also have the luxury of a shower at the office. I always bring my normal clothes with me in a backpack.
I see you're from Benin. Is there a cycling infrastructure there?
What kind of bicycle are you riding?
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The Dutch cycling mentality and infrastructure is certainly enviable. I'm glad we aren't coming over this year... Although renting our house out would have covered the fuel costs, JUST... It would have sucked filling yo the tank of the Landie that's sitting in the UK waiting for us.
If I was younger and fitter I would cycle an ebike across Europe instead. The money is save I could spend on accommodation!
I agree with you; in my country, owning a bicycle is a huge advantage and a way to save a lot of money. Plus, it helps protect the environment.
Ha! I never imagined one of my random comments on Discord would inspire a Hive post! 😁
Okay, first, here is the credit for the image — the free AI-image generation build into PEAKD:
All I used for a prompt was: "woman riding bicycle" and that was the best of the four images I was given.
Fuel prices here require a little more calculation, as we measure by the gallon instead of by the liter. One US gallon = apx. 3.785412 litres. So, that would be a whopping $2.76 * 3.785412 = $10.45 per gallon! 🙀 OMG!
The last time I put fuel in my car, it was $2.85 per gallon. Your 60% tax is insane! Our fuel tax here is roughly $0.514 per gallon ($0.184 Federal Tax, $0.184 State Tax), which equates to about 18% of the total fuel cost.
I am sure the $2.85/gallon cost will skyrocket before long. Companies here tend to be overly opportunistic with prices. Only 2%–7% of US fuel comes through the Strait of Hormuz, but prices will climb and the situation in Iran will be blamed. 😠
In my younger years, I rode a bicycle quite a bit, especially before I bought my first car. I rode my bike to work, church, grocery store, and then again in the evenings just for exercise and fun. Even after I bought a car and got married, I still rode my bike for fun in the evenings sometimes, mostly to a friend's house. But then life became more complicated, raising children, working overtime, then moving to locations that were not so bike-friendly, and then I became old. 😝 I have always admired the bike-friendly culture that exists in Europe! Kudos!