I've previously compared the commute by bicycle and public transport, but I've been working in a new office for a couple of months now, which is at the edge of Reading, instead of being right in the centre of town. I thought I'd see how the different transport methods commute to this new location.
| Method | Door to door time | Cost | Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public transport | 1 hour 8 mins* | £7.60 | Unreliable, slow, expensive | |
| Bicycle | 24 mins** | Free | Fitness/Health, reliable, fast | Unpleasant in harsh weather |
* See breakdown below
** 7.5 miles
The public transport option was horrible. Here's a breakdown of the journey.
Walk to the station: 0.9 miles, 13 minutes
Buy ticket and wait for train: 7 minutes
Train to Reading: 6.8 miles, 14 minutes
Walk to bus stop: 0.2 miles, 4 minutes
Wait for bus: 12 minutes
Bus ride: 3.0 miles, 14 minutes
Walk to office: 0.3 miles, 4 minutes
Adding that together we get;
| Activity | Time spent |
|---|---|
| Walking | 21 min |
| Waiting for public transport | 19 min |
| On public transport | 28 min |
Here are maps of the GPS traces;
 |
| Route taken by public transport. |
 |
| Route taken on bicycle. |
Clearly public transport is a terrible way to commute. It was already worse than cycling but the new office location adds a bus ride which makes it much worse.
another drawback of cycling is sweating, so you'd probably need to go slow or shower at the end of your ride....
ReplyDeleteIt's a very good post and I of course would favour the cycle. However, one benefit of public transport is that you can tuck into a good book or read a paper. I do miss that.
ReplyDelete