No doubt if you’re reading this then you are already aware of some of the many benefits of swapping to cycling to work instead of driving – but what is the actual cash saving?
Of course the answer is ‘it depends’ – but here are a few considerations before we get into the whole fuel calculation debate.
First, do you pay for parking? An obvious instant saving, as long as you have a safe place to park your bike.
If you replaced your car with a bike you’ll save loads on road tax, servicing and so on, but let’s assume that most people aren’t going to get rid of the car entirely. Maybe later? Depends where you live and how you use your car.
Second, are there any extra costs related to cycling? Well, you could invest in cycle clothing but this isn’t vital – you just need a waterproof jacket and the ability to get changed when you arrive at work if it’s been a wet commute or a very sweaty one. Most employers are now coming around to realising the benefits of having people to cycle to work and are very amenable to small changes at the workplace.
You do however need a couple of vital things – a good bike lock, helmet, and lights. Investing in strong lights especially at the back of your bike is wise and costs very little.
For the employer, more cycling means less provision of parking spaces, and a healthier workforce. In addition, if they take advantage of the Cycle to Work Scheme they can save money on the payroll so they win in every way – check out our Cycle to Work details.
Third, can you really quantify health benefits? Feeling better, improving your figure, being ill less frequently – can you put a figure on that?
Cash savings
So down to the money. Let’s say you want to commute to work but maybe not every day, which is usually the case. If your commute is just 3 miles and you only commute twice a week, you still save £161 if your car is a 10 year old petrol model. And that’s just in the first year.
You’ll also not put 130kg of CO2 into the atmosphere, live 3 days longer and save an average of 3 hours of journey time in most urban areas.
How do we know this? Try the Omni Car vs Bike Calculator
Given this, imagine the savings if you cycled most days – and the flat stomach…
