How Much Money Can You Save Bike Commuting?

There are countless reasons that make the idea of bike commuting an attractive transport option. First and foremost, you get your daily exercise before even arriving at the office or another place of work. Along with this, you’re not sitting in an endless sea of cars and inhaling exhaust – you get to enjoy the breeze in your face and arrive to work energized. Secondly, you can save a ton of money by not paying for gas. How much exactly? Well, that depends on a few factors – the cost of gas, the nature of your commute (city or highway miles), and the distance of your commute. For sake of simplicity, let’s say your car gets 23 city miles per gallon, you have a 6-mile commute each way, and gas is $2.70 per gallon. 

The math looks like this:

  • Monthly miles: 12 miles (6 each way)  x 20 (workdays per month) = 240 miles each month
  • Monthly gallons: 240 / 23 = 10.43 gallons per month
  • Monthly cost: 10.43  gallons x $2.70 = $28.17 per month or $338 per year 
Faraday Porteur commuter eBike

This is a fairly simple example and assumes a rather short work commute. With that in mind, you’re still looking at a yearly savings of $338 (plus a healthier you!) But, let’s look at this from a more realistic point of view. The average American commutes about 16 miles each way to work. While 16 miles might not be a realistic bike commute for most, this is where electric bikes come in to play as you can ride farther with less exertion. Using the same example above, but assuming a longer commute more in line with the national average – you would be spending closer to $75 / month or $902 per year on gas – and that’s just on the gas savings! If you currently pay for parking or have a history of parking violations or speeding tickets then this boosts the savings even further. It’s safe to say, riding to work can save you some serious cash riding your bike to work. Over time, the savings will pay for the bike itself and again, you’ll feel better and be healthier with a consistent exercise schedule. 

If you’ve been considering a bike commute but have had a hard time committing to it, then an electric bike may be the perfect catalyst. Electric bikes offer a happy medium of effort and ease. You can arrive to work refreshed while avoiding the pain and stress of rush hour traffic. Due to the nature of the electric assist, you can put in as little or as much power into your commute as desired. Electric bikes also make longer distances feasible so if you are disregarding bike commuting as an option due to your distance, then it’s time to rethink what’s possible with an electric bike. Save money, get exercise, avoid rush hour traffic – join the bike commute community and you won’t look back.