Hannah and her blisters

Day One - Bus

Walked to the bus stop (10 minutes), and joined a line of people already waiting for the 8 o’clock ride. The bus came just minutes after I arrived, but when we got on, most of the seats were taken, meaning I had to stand. Off we went, stopping at every stop along the way. When we arrived at my penultimate stop, Auckland University, most passengers got off, leaving me with the chance to finally sit down. I managed to perch my bottom on a seat for two minutes and then it was my turn to disembark. Overall, the bus trip was enjoyable enough. I didn’t get wet in the rain, or sweaty from walking or biking. It did cost me, and thankfully I had enough money on my HOP card, otherwise it would have been an extra $2.20.

Time: 22 minutes

Distance: 3.3km

Cost: $1.33 with a tertiary HOP card OR $3.50 if you forget to bring your HOP card.

Score: 3.5/5

Day Two - Bike

Biking definitely has its perks. It’s good for the environment and good for yourself, getting out and having a little bit of exercise. But for my bike trip to university, it was quite sweaty – too many hills. So I had to get off  and push. It’s still a very efficient way to get to uni. No cost, bit of exercise, great way to start the day. Beware: there are no bike lanes in Parnell or even many around the universities. This puts a little dampener on this mode of transportation as I was too scared to share the road with cars for fear of getting hit, but then on the footpaths, you have to dodge pedestrians who, for some reason, think it’s great to walk right in the middle of the footpath. Maybe we should adopt a system like Belgium has, where you get paid to get out and use your bike to not harm the environment. I’m sure this would be a great incentive to get people up and using two wheels rather than four.

Time: 20 minutes

Cost: FREE

Score: 3.5/5

Day Three - Walk

Walking back from university is very enjoyable. My perambulation takes me through three parks, which is a crazy good thing to have in the inner city. It takes a bit longer than the other modes of transportation – 30 minutes in total – but getting out and enjoying the fresh air is a great way to start and end your day. It’s not as sweaty as biking and it is still free, as opposed to the bus. It’s not the best if it is raining but if you catch a good day, get out and walk to uni. I think it’s a great way to be positive for the environment and also keeping active yourself; that's a lot of benefits.

Time: 30 minutes

Cost: FREE

Score: 4.5/5

Day Four - Uber

Ubering is great, especially when it’s raining as you can skip getting wet. I booked a ride at 8 o’clock, and seven minutes later the Uber driver was at my doorstep. This feature is great as I was able to wait for my ride in the comfort of my own home. Uber does cost though, and especially if you catch it at a bad time when surcharges occur, the price can increase heavily. My ride was enjoyable and I had a nice comfy seat, the driver even had a blanket in his car for his guests. But, the cost is definitely a downer as, if you Ubered every day to university and back, it’d cost you $100 a week, or more. Overall it would be great to be able to afford a personal driver dropping you off to university every day but, all in all, I think save your money and the environment and walk to uni for free instead.

Time: 15 minutes

Cost: $10.09

Score: 3/5

Wheels (big or small) or legs: what did I learn? Bus: too crowded. Bike: too sweaty. Shanks’s pony: just right on a fine day. Uber: uber-costly.