U-Bahn vs. bicycle

I've been trying to save a few extra Euros each week, mostly because that's just the right thing to do. The main target of my savings has been my use of Berlin's U-Bahn system, which, while being one of the most impressive public transportation networks in the world, is apparently overpriced. My wife and I long suspected this, but have not until this past month conclusively tested our theory.

Before February, I purchased a new monthly pass for 67 Euros shortly after the 1st of each month, which entitled me to unlimited transit, plus the chance to bring my wife (or another friend) along with me on the weekends and after 8:00 p.m weekdays. We had already agreed that it would be too costly to purchase two passes each month. However, for this past month, I decided I would bike or simply walk to the Volkshochschule everyday, which really isn't all that far. We even biked to our Chinese class on some evenings -- a good five miles across the city -- just to see if we could do it and save the money. Below is a listing of the individual fares that we felt compelled to use during the last thirty days, and I would emphasize that we always paid our fares when taking the public transit network. (Here it is very easy to ride for free, although the penalty if you get caught doing it is around 50 Euros.)

Berlin Public Transit Usage, February 2007:
February 6: The wife uses two 2.10 Euro fares to get to Chinese class and back. 4.20
February 13: The wife and I each use two fares to get to Chinese class and back. 8.40
February 15-19: The wife and I each use two fares to get to the airport and back. 8.40
February 27: The wife and I both use a fare to get back from Chinese class. 4.20
February 27: I must pay to transport my bike back from Chinese class as well. 1.40
Total for February: 26.60

While there are some incentives to buying a monthly or yearly pass -- convenience perhaps being at the top of the list -- saving money isn't one of them. Biking from place to place here, while rather annoying on rainy days, can be refreshing, and is environmentally friendly and fit.

I'll now return to my computer game...