I'm not even going to talk about saving money on gas

[jere7my]

Because I was riding my bike to work, I stopped buying MBTA monthly passes in June of this year. I just bought one for November. They're $59, so I ordinarily would've spent $295 on public transportation during that time. I actually spent $145 (because I do still sometimes take the bus / T).

My bike saved me $150 this summer!

Comments

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

I'll still ride my bike some, but once there's snow on the ground I'll stop. There's a decent chance that'll happen before the month is out.

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

(An average week of riding the T without a pass costs me ~$24, so 2½ weeks of riding costs more than a monthly pass. If I need to start riding the T before November 14, I'll lose money. The average first snowfall for Boston is November 6, but it doesn't usually become dangerous to ride on the roads and bike paths until later, so it's a bit of a toss-up. But I suspect I'll make myself rest easier by buying the pass.)

What, me anal?

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

Actually, let's do this properly. (Translation: I did it in my head on the bus this morning, so let's write it down.) When I was in bike-riding mode this summer, I spent $29/month on pubtrans¹, or about $1/day. When I'm not riding my bike (and have no pass), an average week costs me $24, or about $3.50/day. So, for me to save money over a $59 T pass in a 30-day month, the equation is:

$1 * D + $3.5 * (30 - D) < $59

Where D is the number of days I ride my bike. Solving for D gives me

D >~ 18.5

So I'd have to expect at least 19 days of good biking weather in November, in Boston, to make it a better deal than buying a pass. I don't like those odds.

¹This is almost entirely because of Mondays, when, because I wear my kilt and K gives me a ride home from dance, I take pubtrans to work instead of my bike, to the tune of $5.45.

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

My bike saved me $150 this summer!

Really cool! Keep it well-oiled and tuned up!

[kdsorceress.livejournal.com]

Bikes are so cool!

Mine has already saved me...um...2.50, and another 3.40...yay!

(You ride the t much more often than I do. And bike!)

~Sor

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

and given the T's frequent state of foo, you've probably saved a lot of time and frustration as well.

[mogwit.livejournal.com]

I'm curious: have you factored in bicycle maintenance/parts for which you paid? I'm assuming even with that there's still considerable savings, but I'm curious nonetheless.

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

I spent about $25 on parts & maintenance this year: a new tube, chain lube (which will last a long time), and $10 to true my rear wheel after I fell. It probably won't always be that cheap, but then the bike is also a recreational expense, which can't be said of the T.