The cost of gas takes up an unimaginable amount of income for the average American each year. If you’re looking for ways to cut costs, consider either taking public transportation or riding a bike. There are benefits to each choice depending on where you live and what options are available there.Public transportation systems have been around for decades. In places like New York City and Washington, D.C., taking the subway or a bus is a no-brainer. But what about in other cities? Check your local bus schedule to see which lines run near you, and to learn about possibly getting a deal on a monthly or yearly pass. You might be surprised at the savings availablefor example, the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District offers an annual pass for only 60. For many people, that’s less than they spend on gas in a given month. If you live close enough to work, and the weather is good enough, consider leaving the car at home and taking your bike instead. This is a great way to get the exercise you’ve been missing out on while at work, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, and save some dough at the same time. There are plenty of resources out there for people interested in learning more about this opportunity. For example, the League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week 2011 during the week of May 16-20, with the official Bike-to-Work Day on May 20. The website “Commute by Bike” offers “tips, news, reviews and safety for bike commuters,” covering all the issues that might have been preventing you from putting your foot to the pedal before now. These are just a few simple ways for you to save money on transportation. There are definitely more, though. The option of carpooling was previously mentioned in our article “Green Ways to Save.” If it helps, you can think of bussing as a carpool where it’s never your turn to drive, and biking as carpooling without the caror the pool of people…or something.