好英语网骑自行车上下班的成本真的比公交低吗？
On the first day I commuted to work by bike, I woke up earlier than usual, overstuffed my backpack with snacks, clothes and towels and hit the road at 07:30.
第一天骑自行车上班时，我很早就起床了。在背包里塞满了零食、衣服和毛巾之后，我7:30准时上路。
After a few miles, the GPS route I was following disappeared, forcing me to pull over to find the route again. Meanwhile, lorries and angry drivers were honking and overtaking me at high speed at a very busy junction. After more than an hour in the saddle, I finally arrived at the office, stressed out – but on time.
骑了几英里之后，我的GPS路径消失了，所以不得不重新拿出手机来寻找路径。与此同时，许多汽车司机愤怒地按着喇叭，在繁忙的路口以极快的车速超过我。经过一个多小时的颠簸，我终于来到办公室，虽然时间有点紧张，但好在没有迟到。
For those of us who live in crowded cities with bad traffic and scarce parking, there are two main options for commuters: public transport and cycling.
生活在拥挤的城市里，糟糕的交通状况和稀缺的停车位会令我们不胜其扰，所以公交和骑车便成为摆在通勤者面前的两大主要选择。
When you compare the two, it seems like an easy win for the former: cycling costs less and is good exercise. It’s these factors — along with expansion of bike lanes and cycling advocacy groups — that are helping drive growth in bike commuting in many countries around the world.
对比这两种方案，前者似乎可以轻易胜出：自行车不仅花费更少，而且还能健身。除此之外，自行车道也在不断拓宽，倡导骑车出行的人也越来越多。在这些因素的共同作用下，世界各地骑车上下班的人越来越多。
In the US, according to the US Census Bureau, the number of commuters by bike increased by 60% over the past decade (from 488,000 in 2000 up to 786,000 during the years 2008-12) and 40% from 2006 to 2013 (from 623,000 to 882,000), even though they still account for just 0.6% of the total commuting population (a whopping 143 million workers).
根据美国人口统计局发布的数据，全美骑自行车上下班的人数过去十年增长60%（从2000年的48.8万增长到2008-2012年的78.6万），2006至2013年间也增长40%（从62.3万增长到88.2万）。尽管如此，他们在庞大的通勤队伍中（总数多达1.43亿人）仍然仅占0.6%。
In London, according to the most recent census data, the number of cycling commuters more than doubled, from 77,000 in 2001 to 155,000 in 2011. In the UK as a whole in 2014 (the most recent year available), a record 183,423 employees participated in the Cycle to Work scheme, a Government’s scheme that enables employees to get bikes and accessories tax-free through their employers.
根据最新的统计数据，伦敦骑自行车上下班的人数十年间翻了一番多，从2001年的7.7万增加到2011年的15.5万。整个英国2014年（这是目前所能看到的最新数据）有18.3423万人参加了"骑车上班"（Cycle to Work）活动——这项由政府倡导的活动允许员工通过雇主购买免税自行车和相关配件。
When I lived in in Turin, Italy I always cycled: compared to public transport, it was always faster and almost cost-free. I thought the same would apply in London. But that lasted only until I started to ride bikes for living (I was working for a cycling magazine). That’s when I gave up cycling to work.
我在意大利都灵生活时一直都骑自行车：与公共交通相比，自行车速度更快，而且几乎没有成本。我原以为伦敦也是如此，但直到我为了生计而骑车时（我为一家自行车杂志工作），才发现情况并非如此。于是我决定放弃骑车上下班。
At the time, my office was 12 miles (19km) from my home – which meant either an hour in the saddle or an hour on the overground train. Although the time was the same, cycling was much cheaper: since I already owned everything I needed to commute by bike, the two-wheeled alternative was effectively cost-free. Public transport, on the other hand, was £146 (at the time, $210) a month.
当时，我的办公室距离我家12英里（19公里）——所以无论骑车还是坐轻轨都需要花费1小时。尽管时间相同，但自行车的成本便宜很多：因为我已经有了骑车上下班所需的一切，所以这种方案对我来说等于没有成本。但与此同时，公交月票却高达146英镑（按照当时的汇率是210美元）。
That simple calculation, though, didn’t take a couple of factors into account. For one, the need for consistency. If I relied on cycling and didn’t buy a month-long pass for the train – but then changed my mind one morning because, say, of bad weather – I was looking at an extra £11 ($15.80 at that time) round-trip. Doing that just twice a month added up quickly.
但这种对比太过简单，忽略了几项重要因素。首先就是坚持。如果我骑车上下班，而不购买轻轨月票，那么当我某天因为糟糕的天气或其他因素而改变主意时，就要额外花11英镑（按照当时的汇率是15.80美元）才能坐一个来回。每月只要出现两次这种情况就会大幅增加开支。
The calculation also didn’t include stress. On a bicycle, the traffic, the red lights and pollution made the ride a nightmare. Sitting on the train and reading was the more enjoyable option.
这还没有考虑压力问题。糟糕的交通状况、为数众多的红绿灯、四处弥漫的尾气，都让骑车上下班成了一场噩梦。坐在轻轨上看书显然更加舒服。
Of course, that’s not true for everyone. But my experience made me wonder: is it really always cheaper and more convenient to commute by bike than with public transport?
当然，这个结论并不适用于所有人。但这番经历也引发了我的思考：骑车上下班一定比乘坐公共交通工具更便宜、更便利吗？
Better by bike
骑车更好
Theodora Robinson, 27, started to commute by bike in March this year, because she was “sick of paying for the privilege of squeezing through rush hour on the tube”, and wanted a healthier and cheaper option.
27岁的西奥多拉•罗宾逊（Theodora Robinson）今年3月开始骑车上下班，因为她"受够了上下班挤地铁"，希望获得一种更健康、更廉价的选择。
The 27-year-old Londoner rides a Liv Avail – a mid-range road bike that she got free of charge through the UK’s Cycle to Work scheme. The bike, when she bought it, had a price tag of £750 ($950).
这个伦敦人骑着一辆Liv Avail——这是她通过英国"骑车上班"活动免税购买的一款中档自行车。那款自行车购买时的标价为750英镑（950美元）。
“My commute is around 40 minutes, depending on traffic,” she says. “I might take the Tube on occasion, but I'm rarely put off by the weather. It's definitely cheaper overall and more convenient and this year will cost half what it normally does, and even less if I carry on next year.” She says maintenance has cost very little so far because she had three free check-ups in the deal for the first year. “The biggest outlay was upgrading the tyres for about £40 ($50).”
"我的通勤时间约为40分钟，具体要取决于交通状况。"她说，"我有时会乘地铁，但很少因为天气而放弃。整体来看，骑车上下班确实更便宜，也更方便。今年的通勤成本约为正常情况的一半。如果我明年继续坚持，成本还会更低。" 她表示，目前为止的自行车维护成本很低，因为她第一年获得了3份免费的检测优惠。"最大的一笔开支是花了大约40英镑（50美元）升级轮胎。"
Italian Marco Mazzei, 52, is a corporate social media manager from Milan and a keen cyclist. He started to cycle to work occasionally in 2010, but two years later he made an even bigger commitment. He sold his car. He currently rides 16km (10 miles) each way to get to work.
52岁的意大利人马考•马泽伊（Marco Mazzei）是米兰一家公司的社交媒体经理，也是一名骑行爱好者。他从2010年开始偶尔骑车上下班，两年后的比例大幅增加。他甚至卖掉了汽车，目前单程通勤距离达到16公里（10英里）。
Mazzei rides a folding bike that cost 1,100 euro ($1,200) – its small enough to take on the train when needed and easy to carry into the office. “I can bring it right under my desk and take the overground without paying for an extra ticket,” he says. He spends about 100 euros ($110) on yearly maintenance costs.
马泽伊骑的是一辆1,100欧元（1,200美元）的折叠自行车——由于体积很小，所以完全可以带上轻轨，也很容易带到办公室。"我可以直接把它放在办公桌下，乘坐地铁也不用额外买票。"他说。他每年的自行车维护成本约为100欧元（110美元）。
“I know I save money,” says Mazzei, although he’s never done the pen-and-paper calculation.
"我知道我省钱了。"马泽伊说，尽管他从未详细计算过具体数字。
Even if not at the same speed as in Europe, commuting by bike is also finding new momentum down under.
虽然还不像欧洲那么受欢迎，但骑车上下班也已经在澳大利亚形成一股潮流。
“Commuting by bike in Australia is small, but growing,” says Benny Horn, 34, who is responsible for cycling-development plans for one of Sydney’s city councils.
"骑自行车上班的澳大利亚人不多，但数量在增加。"34岁的本尼•霍恩（Benny Horn）说，他负责为悉尼的一个市政部门制定自行车发展计划。
Horn started to cycle to work in 2008, when he was tired of slow commutes, long walks and expensive train trips. His commute takes 15 minutes, and he estimates it costs him about A$200 ($150) a year to ride, on top of an up-front cost of A$700 (500 euros) to buy the bike. “Commuting by train in Sydney would set me back A$2,000 ($1,500) a year.”
在受够了缓慢通勤速度、长时间的行走路程和昂贵的地铁车票后，霍恩2008年开始骑车上下班。他的通勤时间约为15分钟，每年的成本估计约为200澳元（150美元），外加购买自行车投入的700澳元（500欧元）一次性费用。"在悉尼乘地铁通勤每年要花2,000澳元（1,500美元）。"
Weighing the costs
成本考量
So, is cycling to work is always cheaper than using public transport, the answer – based on a pure data analysis – is: no. In the short- and medium-term (depending, of course, on where you live), public transport can actually be a better value.
所以，纯粹从数据角度分析，关于"骑车上下班一定比乘坐公共交通工具更便宜吗？"这个问题的答案是：不一定！从中短期来看（当然，具体还要取决于你住在哪里），公共交通确实更有价值。
Using data from industry bodies, retailers and national transportation sites, BBC Capital compared the cost of cycling to the cost of public transport in 12 cities to find out where a two-wheeled commute could save you the most money.
利用行业实体、零售商和全国性交通网站提供的数据，BBC Capital对12座城市的骑车成本和公交成本进行了对比，找出了骑车上下班最省钱的城市。
We took the average cycling costs for a country – the cost of a bicycle, accessories and maintenance – and compared that to the cost of a monthly travel card on public transport. We found that although cycling has a high up-front cost, those costs are soon recouped in a city with expensive public transport. The lower the public transport cost, the longer it takes for cycling to become cheaper than transit.
我们计算自行车成本时使用了全国平均数——包括自行车本身及其配件和维护成本——然后与当地的公交月卡进行对比。结果发现，尽管自行车前期投入较高，但很快就会因为昂贵的公交费用得到补偿。公交费用越低，自行车体现成本优势所花费的时间也就越长。
If you live in an expensive city like New York or London, cycling is the most cost-effective option. It won’t take much time to pay off the initial investment of the bike, compared to the cost of monthly travel cards (assuming you just buy a brand-new bike for about £300 or $200, it takes 2.1 months in London and 1.7 months in New York to break even compared with a monthly transit card).
如果你住在纽约或伦敦等生活成本高昂的城市，自行车是最划算的选择。与公交月卡相比，用不了多久就可以收回购买自行车的初始投资——假设你只买一辆300英镑或200美元的全新自行车，在伦敦需要2.1个月即可与公交月卡的成本持平，纽约则仅需1.7个月。
But in other cities, that’s not the case. In Krakow, Poland for example, public transport is cheaper than in other cities (equal to $22.90 for a monthly travel card) but the average cost of a brand-new bike in 2015 was still relatively high ($427).
但其他城市却并非如此。例如，波兰克拉科夫的公交成本比其他城市都便宜（公交月卡费用为22.90美元），但一辆全新自行车在2015年的价格却相对较高（427美元）。
That means it will take much longer to recoup the cost of the bike alone: 18.7 months of taking public transport, to be precise, and that excludes other costs. Add in gear and maintenance, and in Krakow public transport can actually be less expensive than using a bike regularly.
这就意味着要花费很长时间才能收回自行车本身的成本：确切地说，大约需要18.7个月，而且还刨除了其他与自行车相关的成本。如果计入零件和维护费用，克拉科夫的公交系统其实比经常骑自行车成本更低。
Even when you’re confident that you’re saving more long-term by cycling than with public transport, be aware of the “hidden” costs like bike maintenance – which is essential in order to keep the bike in good shape and make it last longer.
即使你认为骑车上下班从长期来看肯定比公交省钱，也不应忽视维护费等与自行车相关的"隐含成本"——这是保持自行车良好状态并延长使用寿命的关键。
Avid cyclists should plant to spend $320 to $530 for annual maintenance, says Ed Reynolds, a board member of the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association in the US. That cost covers biannual tune-ups and replacing parts like chains, brake pads, tires and cables.
美国专业自行车修理师协会（Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association）会员艾德•雷诺兹（Ed Reynolds）表示，自行车爱好者每年的维护费用在320至530美元之间，其中包括一年两次的调教，以及链条、刹车皮、轮胎和线缆的更换成本。
As for your bike, it should last longer. “The simple answer,” he adds, “would be five to eight years. That does depend on how well the bike is maintained – an old adage in the bicycle industry is: ‘There are two ways to kill a bicycle; ride it a lot or don’t ride it at all’.”
普通人的自行车使用寿命应该更长。"简单来说，"他补充道，"寿命应该达到5至8年。但这要取决于自行车的维护状况——自行车行业有句老话：'骑得太多或弃之不用都很毁车。'"
