"On Business Trip" Episode 6: What Does Commuting Really Cost?

In times of rising energy prices, increasing environmental impact, congested roads, and growing health issues, it’s worth taking a closer look at how the choice of transport affects overall costs.

When focusing solely on purchase and operating expenses, it becomes clear that a privately used car—often driven alone to work—is the most expensive form of commuting. Comprehensive cost calculations, such as those regularly published by the German ADAC, include all relevant factors: depreciation, maintenance, consumables, and more.

For comparison, I selected two relatively affordable cars from the ADAC list and compared them with a trekking bike and a well-equipped pedelec. To transfer the ADAC methodology to bicycles, I added a household insurance component to cover bike theft and assumed an annual inspection including chain, cassette, and brake pad replacement. Minor repairs like changing an inner tube were also considered. While the ADAC calculates with 15,000 km per year, I used 5,000 km annually in this example.

When expanding the perspective to include socially relevant aspects, the gap widens significantly. In recent years, many cost-benefit analyses focusing on “climate change” and “mobility transition” have examined commuting from economic, ecological, and health-related viewpoints. One of the most influential studies, led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Gössling, reveals the true private and societal costs of driving, cycling, and walking.

The study considered numerous indicators, including:

• Private costs: purchase, maintenance, operation (fuel, repairs)

• Economic costs: infrastructure, land use, accident consequences

• Environmental factors: CO₂ emissions, air pollution, noise

• Health impacts: physical activity, disease risks, life expectancy

• Time factors: travel time, congestion, reliability

• Subjective perception: safety, comfort, stress levels

The analysis draws on data from the European Commission, the Canadian Transport Policy Institute, and the Danish Centre for Transport Analytics. Additional empirical studies from the UK and the Netherlands show that bicycle commuters have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and a higher life expectancy. The full study is available online:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330184791_The_Social_Cost_of_Automobility_Cycling_and_Walking_in_the_European_Union

A flat tire. Annoying—but inexpensive to fix on a bike.

To be fair, one could add the cost of an ice cream stop during summer rides—or snacks needed to cope with train delays. But let’s leave that aside …

Even if some assumptions can be debated, the conclusion is unsurprising: bicycles perform far better than cars. Thanks to their positive health effects, cycling even results in net societal benefits, whereas car use causes about €1 in total costs per kilometer, including around €0.10 in external costs (e.g., land use and air pollution) covered by society.

These studies are fascinating, but they mainly inform political decisions. Individual mobility choices are rarely based on scientific data. If you still commute by car, you can calculate your personal comparison here:
https://thecycleverse.com/de/rechner/fahrrad-vs-auto-rechner

And who knows—maybe it will inspire not only rethinking but also switching.

In the end, you have to want it.