AA Ireland experiment sees motorbike, e-bike, bus and runner beat car in Dublin City Centre commute

On foot of the National Census 2022, which revealed that the average person spends 29 minutes commuting, AA Ireland has released the results of a commuting experiment that saw a motorbike, e-bike, bus, motorist, runner and walker test which mode of transport is the fastest and most cost-effective crossing Dublin City Centre at peak time.

“With increasing investment in public transport and further restrictions on private motoring in the city, we wanted to see which mode of transport was the most efficient.

“As people are being pushed out of their cars, we thought to test out six different modes of transport, all making the same journey in rush hour traffic,” says AA Ireland Communications Officer Blake Boland.

“We were very surprised by the results in the end,” said Mr Boland. “As expected, the motorbike got there first in 20 minutes.

However, we didn’t expect that the e-bike would arrive so soon after, taking only one minute more.

Also surprising was the runner taking 29 minutes, nearly five minutes before arriving on the number 16 bus.

Taking 45 minutes in the car, I was amazed that I only beat Paddy walking by 10 minutes. And this was on a day where the traffic was particularly light.”

AA Ireland also calculated the cost associated with each journey.

The most expensive individual trip was the bus, with a concession fare costing €1.00 for students.

The next most costly was the motorbike, using €0.79 worth of petrol. The small VW e-up used €0.36 worth of electricity.

The much more efficient e-bike used approximately €0.02 of electricity.

“Although this particular journey on the bus was the most expensive, you have to remember that there are much more costs associated with the car and the motorbike,” said Blake Boland.

“Tax, insurance, maintenance and depreciation would make the lifetime costs much higher overall.

“There is also the discussion around physical and mental health. A walk can be much more pleasant than being stuck in traffic.”

The AA Ireland experiment has shown that although cars provide a crucial means of transport in Ireland, they are not necessarily the fastest or most cost-effective solution in cities.

“The commute test also highlighted the need for more investment in the public transport network and active travel infrastructure to protect those who walk or cycle to their destination.

“Until that happens, the government faces a difficult battle to convince people to make the switch.”

To learn more and watch the full video, click here.