leog68•1mo agoProlific Poster

Bike vs bus for my 10 mile commute, guess which one actually saved me time

I live in Portland and I've been trying to cut my carbon footprint, so I decided to either bike 10 miles to work or take the bus for a whole month. The bus was supposed to be the easy green choice, but man, I had to transfer twice and wait 20 minutes at a stop near downtown where the shelter didn't even have a roof. So I switched to biking, and day one I got a flat tire on a glass-covered street by the river. But after I patched that tube, I realized I was actually getting there 15 minutes faster than the bus, and I didn't have to smell someone's leftover fish dinner. The kicker is that my bike commute saved me about $80 in bus passes over the month, and I didn't feel guilty about idling in traffic. Has anyone else had a similar showdown between two "green" options that totally backfired on paper?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_ward541mo ago

Buddy, I know your pain all too well. I went through the exact same thing in Seattle where the "green" bus route was a joke with an extra loop that added 20 minutes. Check your tire pressure before every ride, that glass is a nightmare but a solid pair of puncture resistant tires will save you a ton of headaches. I also started carrying a small patch kit and a mini pump in my backpack after my third flat, now I can fix one in under five minutes without breaking a sweat. Honestly the bus is fine until you realize you're just paying to sit in the same traffic you're trying to avoid, at least on a bike you can filter through the worst of it.

beth_stone29d ago

My bus transfer point in Portland is right by this old bakery that pumps out grease smells at 7am, so I feel you on the fish dinner thing. @lee_ward54 mentioned patch kits which is smart but nobody talks about how bike lanes can actually be faster than bus routes because buses get stuck behind delivery trucks and double parkers. I timed it once and my bus sat behind a UPS truck for 8 minutes while I just rolled past on the bike lane. Plus I found this shortcut through a park that shaves off a whole mile, the bus GPS can't do that. The real hidden win for me was no more planning my life around a schedule, I just leave when I want and arrive when I arrive.