At the time of writing this, figures show that the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol at UK forecourts are a record 173p. That means it will cost around £95 to fill a typical 55-litre family car. As crude oil prices continue to skyrocket, it’s predicated that it won’t be long before we’re paying a whopping 180p per litre.
Understandably, the increase in fuel prices are causing sales to decrease as drivers cut back on the number of journeys they make, helping their tank to last that little bit longer. In fact, research by the RAC has found that 30% of drivers are now driving less often and 21% are deliberately driving more efficiently to save fuel.
Of course, we all need to travel places on a daily basis, whether that’s running errands or commuting to work. And those journeys are costing us more than ever. So what’s the alternative?
Burn calories not cash!
While walking is the simplest and cheapest option, it’s not always speedy enough, which is where cycling comes in. If you’re wondering how much could you actually save by choosing to cycle over jumping in the car, Cyclescheme has crunched the numbers for us, and cites commutes to work costs as follows:
- Car = £3,727pa
- Train = £1,320pa
- Bus = £848pa
- Tram = £625pa
- Bike = £396
From these figures, switching from driving to cycling can save you over £3,000 a year! You can check out the full breakdown of their travel cost comparison here.
As well as saving you money, cycling is great exercise. So not only will your bank balance feel a little healthier from the switch, but you will, too!
On your bike!
Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Cycling UK found that 81% of respondents are expecting their transport costs to increase over the next six months. With this in mind, they’re looking at alternative, less costly ways to travel, like cycling.
But while more of us are open to cycling, survey respondents highlighted that workplaces need to improve their facilities such as bike storage and lockers. They also felt that they’d be more likely to cycle to work if their employer offered financial help to buy a bike, or if their workplace offered a cycle to work scheme.
CycleScheme and Cycle2Work can help you with the upfront cost of purchasing a bike and save you up to 40% on its cost. It might be something that your employer already offers, but if not, it could be something worth speaking to them about.
In terms of storage, if your workplace doesn’t provide somewhere suitable, you can always take matters into your own hands. For example, the Bike Nook is the brilliant new way to quickly and easily store your bike. Unlike other bike storage systems, Bike Nook requires no drilling. It’s easy to assemble and completely portable so you can transport it between work, home and anywhere else you travel to. Plus, it’s fully adjustable so you can fit any size bike any size tyre.
It’s time to get creative when it comes to tackling the ever-rising cost of fuel. So if you’re ready to get your helmet on, we’re here to help in any way we can!