With the hike in fares for the T plenty of Bostonians are contemplating better and cheaper ways to get around the city.  Fortunately, we’re here to help with affordable and simple solutions to combat the ever-increasing cost of public transportation.

1.  Walking
It’s great exercise, it costs literally nothing, and you can go anywhere you want.  We are fortunate enough to live in this amazing city, a place walkscore.com rated as the #3 most walkable big city in America, so take advantage!  The benefits of walking are numerous and widespread.  It reduces stress, helps you stay fit, and has even been found to correlate with combating breast cancer (http://www.rodale.com/benefits-walking?page=0,5)!  Another benefit often overlooked is that if you spend your time walking to and from work, the grocery store, the bars, and anywhere in between you can save money by not having to pay for a gym membership or having to worry about finding and paying for parking.  It may not be the most ideal choice when it’s raining and it’s certainly not the fastest mode of transportation, but umbrellas are cheap and you can always leave earlier.

2.  Biking

Yet another list the great city of Boston ranks high on: the most bike-friendly cities in America.  Bicycling.com ranked it just outside the top 25 in its 2011 list, which is great news especially when you consider the recent emergence of the Hubway system.  Hubway is a bike rental program that was launched in 2011.  Bikes are available in stations all over the city and can be rented on a daily or even yearly basis.  If you register now you can get a yearly membership that costs $85 and allows you access to any bike, 24 hours a day, at any time during the year outside of winter.  After you check out a bike you can ride for 30 minutes without incurring any additional fees, which should be enough time to get to work or make a trip to the grocery store.  If you rather not rent a bike every day then it might not be a bad idea to invest in one on your own.  You can get a decent bike for under $400.  That might seem like a lot now, but if you get a monthly pass on the T with the new fares ($70/month) the investment will pay for itself in about 6 months.

3.  Mopeds/Scooters

They’re street legal, cheaper than cars, and more fuel efficient than most cars on the road.  According to theday.com scooters/mopeds are no longer fashion accessories, the butt of jokes, or strictly European, they are widely considered to be a legitimate form of transportation.  It’s no wonder they’re catching on when you look at the facts: you can get a moped for around $700 and be cruising around Boston in no time, meanwhile these things get around 40 mpg so you shouldn’t have to worry about paying too much for gas.  They’re not very useful if you’re traveling long distances or via highway, but in the city they’re nearly perfect, so check one out at your nearest dealership!

4.  Hitch a ride

Buying bikes and mopeds can be a strain to pay for up-front, so how about something that you can pay for as you go?  Having friends with cars is almost like having your own personal public transportation system.  But let’s be clear, we don’t want you to take advantage of your friend or mooch off of them.  If you have a friend with a car, ask them if you can hitch a ride and in exchange offer to help pay for gas.  You can work something out like paying for half of their gas each month, or maybe if you have generous enough friends they’ll give you a ride for free!  The only issues with this option are scheduling around someone else and then dealing with traffic, but at least you’re not the one driving!

5.  Get a monthly pass

Let’s be honest, the T isn’t the best or cheapest way to get around, but it isn’t the worst public transportation in the country, or at least according to Time Magazine it isn’t.  We knew the fares were going to increase again, it was only a matter of time.  The good news is that it’s still cheaper than buying a car.  You’d have to buy roughly 14 years-worth of monthly passes to pay for a $12,000 car.  Plus, they have great discounts for seniors, persons with disabilities, and students!