I commute 40 miles in one direction 3 days a week and 30 miles in the opposite direction 3 days a week. Currently, I’m doing a walk/train commute that takes about an hour and forty minutes in each direction. Not ideal. I’m looking at other options: can’t do a car as company won’t pay for petrol (they pay for trains), can’t afford an electric car and no place to charge in my living situation, out of range for most ebikes and will take even longer. I’m thinking motorcycle or moped, but these are rural roads that get icy and such.
Yes, I know ‘move’ or ‘change jobs’ but that’s not an option as I live smack dab in-between the two locations, so it’s actually kind of ideal, location wise.
Are there any other commute options you can think of?
15 comments
I looked at purchasing a microlite for a rural commute. It wasn’t viable for me due to the lack of landing area at my work but could work for some people
Seems like a car is the best option if driving a two-wheeler is hazardous.
Why wouldn’t they pay mileage but they’d pay trains though? I’d assume they wouldn’t pay mileage because these are your normal places of work but then they pay for trains…
How’s the walk/train division for your current commute? Would cycling only to the station make a difference?
Electric motorbike seems like a good option as long as you’re able.
Before being made a home worker I was considering one as I could charge the battery packs at work (you can get removable packs that charge with a “laptop charger”).
But it’s not cheap to get started – getting your A class license, leather romper suit, helmet etc.
Also not that fun in bad weather.
With driving to two locations, is this for one employer or two?
A colleague of mine lives by the canal and used to commute into the city via canoe.
Motorbike for 95% of the time when it’s not icy, trains the rest of the time?
Ebike and buy 2 more chargers to keep at work? If where you live is quite flat, then this option makes less sense.
Your company pays for your train? That’s incredible, never heard of that before. My commute is similar to yours but I gotta pay £300 a month for the pleasure
I’d look into a motorbike/moped.
You might have to get a train a couple weeks a year due to the weather but 99% of the time you should be ok.
Do trains run directly between both offices? If so, is the time considerably less travelling this way as opposed to travelling from office 1 to your place then carrying on the journey to office 2?
I only ask as I live in a rural area too slap bang between 2 big cities. A train between both is 40 minutes quicker than if I were to travel from one to mine, and then from mine to the other city.
If this is the case for you, could you consider moving closer to one of the offices?
Travelling by motorbike is extremely dangerous (comparatively). Something to bear in mind when weighing up the options.
I personally wouldn’t deal with traffic on a moped. They just don’t have the acceleration to get out of tricky situations. A motorbike license will take time and if I’m honest you really have to like riding bikes. You have to take the weather into account. I am very much a fair weather rider, I hate riding in the rain.
Get your CBT done which is usually £120
Get a japanese motorbike, avoid all of the chinese rubbish and scooters
Youll be fine, i ride year round every year and the roads are 99% of the time fine
Also make sure you get something like a 2nd hand cg 125
Buy a car, eat the running costs. That’s what everyone else where you live will be doing.