Becoming a Pendler

While researching at Aalborg University, I will be living in and commuting from Randers, Denmark. This is the sixth-largest city in the country and is approximately 82 km (50 miles) south of Aalborg. Initially, I had been apartment hunting up in Aalborg, but--as should not come as a surprise--the cost of living in just about any Danish city is pretty steep.

After a month of looking and finding nothing I was content with, I contacted my Danish friend Tina with a request for a place to stay--I met her the first time I was in Denmark eleven years ago as a Rotary Exchange Student at Grenaa Gymnasium. Tina lives in Randers with her long-term boyfriend Jimmi and their toddler. In response to my asking if I could stay with them until I found a permanent place to live, they very generously invited me to stay as long as I would like.

(04/2013 | New Home in Randers, Denmark | Photo Credit: Tina A.)

In fact, they were generous enough to offer me their toddler's playroom and asked me to pay rent that I can actually afford. They took his toys out, found a bed, made room in the cabinets, and have made me feel very welcome in their home. The only remnants of the playroom are the robot stickers on the wall, pirate stickers on the cabinet doors, and big Ikea leaves hanging above the bed. It may not be in Aalborg, but it is a place I am incredibly happy to call home for the next six-months.

Searching for Affordable Transportation

After being invited to live with them in Randers, then started the search for an affordable way to transport myself to and from Aalborg... I have the options of taking a train or a bus, which are both equally convenient--with the bus taking a bit longer and costing a bit less. As an American who rarely gets to travel by train, I am happily willing to pay the premium to travel by train, but the one-way adult ticket is nearly $20 between these two cities. Although I generously supported by the Valle Scholarship program, the idea of spending $40 a day on transportation is clearly unsustainable and way beyond my means.

Before I go on, let's take a moment to reflect on the fact that it takes about the same amount of time to take the Link Light Rail from Downtown Seattle to the Airport. That one-way ticket costs $2.75. At some point in the future, I expect that this price--as well as the price to ride the Metro and Sound Transit buses throughout there region--will likely increase. Although I dread the day that public transportation in Washington State may ever cost as much as it does in Denmark...it may behoove us all to consider how affordable our bus and light rail options in the King County area really are. But enough on that...

The Pendlerkort is my Solution!

After several weeks and many to many hours reviewing my options for affordable transportation aboard DSB--which stands for Danmarks Statebaner, or Denmark's State Railways in English--I finally found the solution. I am not exaggerating in how long it took to find the best plan. Although I have no current complaints for the DSB travel experience, the website is not all that easy to navigate and were I not able to speak Danish it may well have been too difficult to navigate. But, after the long search and help from the friend I am living with...I found a way to make the $40 round-trip much, much less expensive.

I purchased a Pendlerkort--a "Commuter Card"--that is good on all buses and trains traveling between Randers and Aalborg for 30-days for the "low-low" price of $315.00! Doing the math, I break-even after commuting back and forth eight times--at least half as many trips as I will take in a given month.

(10/07/2013 | Pendlerkort | Photo Credit: Cat Silva)

Not only does this card allow me to get on any train or bus between Aalborg and home...the commuter card gives me 'free' boarding on buses within each city's central area. As the card indicates, I can travel freely in zones 80 and 81 in Randers as well as zones 1 through 9 in Aalborg. I live in one of these zones in Randers and my commuter card lets me take that bus to the city center without paying the normal $4.00 fare. I can also take the bus from the C-MUS building Aalborg's city center to the Main Campus. Moreover, if I wanted to purchase a seat on the train between Aalborg and Randers, I can pay $2.00 instead of the standard $5.00. That said, I rarely plan to purchase a seat...the only trick is finding a seat labeled "kan være reservetet" (can be reserved) before the other commuters and travelers. This label means that no one has purchased the seat and it is open on a first-come, first-serve basis.

It's somewhat difficult not to consider this a crazy expensive bus/train pass...But considering all that it covers, this is a great option for people like me who are: a) too old for youth discounts; b) too young for retirement discounts,; and c) unable to get student discounts because I'm not enrolled as a student here. And yes, I changed the information shown on my card so you can't steal my pendlerkort number or see my address...because I'm sure that's everyone's top priority...

Min Pendler / My Commute

Every morning when heading out of the house, I have a few different commuting options to get to Randers Station and catch one of the two hourly trains that head north toward Aalborg. It takes around 30-minutes to walk to the station and around 12-minutes by bicycle. Both options take me through part of the neighborhood, then onto a shared off-street path that accommodates pedestrians, cyclists, and low-speed mopeds. Or, if it's raining or cold, I can simply walk 2-minutes up the street and wait for a bus--which is covered by my Pendlerkort. I am lucky that Tina has a bicycle she rarely uses, so I am able to borrow this from her on most days for the quickest commute to and from the station. The off-street path takes me directly to bicycle parking at the station, which is conveniently located adjacent to the platform the train departs from. It costs money to bring a bicycle on the train, so it is easiest to simply lock it up in Randers and have it waiting for me there when I get home at the end of the day.

(10/08/2013 | Bicycle Parking, Randers Station | Photo Credit: Cat Silva)

One thing that I find really appealing about the commute by train is how comfortable and productive I can be! Most train cars are designed with groups of four seats sharing a small table space. In the the train's "Quite Car", the shared tables are equipped with fold-out portions that provide enough space for all four passengers to have a laptop out--with the outlets close at hand.

(10/07/2013 | DSB Quite Car | Photo Credit: Cat Silva)

For a little over $5.00, passengers can pay for five consecutive hours of wifi This is a nice convenience, but not something I am likely to pay for unless I need to get online--plus I have a data plan on my iPhone if I need to check email. I have also read that members of DSB Plus can get free wifi...and also 20% at the 7-Elevens located in the larger train stations. This is a free loyalty program and if I confirm that these benefits are legitimate, you can bet I'll sign up! And yes, you read that right...the 7-Eleven chain operates stores in all the major train stations in Denmark--and it was there that I bought my Pendlerkort. We may not see too many in Seattle, but the chain is surprisingly prolific in over here.

(10/02/2013 | Aalborg Station Platform | Photo Credit: Cat Silva)

When I arrive in Aalborg, I have a short 8-minute walk from the train station along Boulevarden to the Architecture and Design building where C-MUS is located. The building I'll be based while researching in Aalborg is located at Gammel Torv 6 and is located a stones throw away from the geographic center of the city. It is adjacent to the old City Hall building, across the plaza from the famous Budofil Church, and the plaza behind of it is transformed into an outdoor ice skating ring during the winter months. Although I honest do enjoy the concrete exterior and open atrium that Gould Hall at the University of Washington offers...I'm pretty thrilled I get to call this my academic home for the time being.

(09/17/2013 | Architecture & Design Building | Photo Credit: Aaron L.)

Then, at the end of a day of solid research, my commute goes in reverse and takes me home to Randers for dinner. All and all, it may be not be a 'cheap' commute, but it is certainly a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Several Danes I've spoken with are shocked that I am content with commuting an hour each way. I might agree with this perspective if it were two hours spent on a packed bus or driving a car alone...but I strongly believe that there is something vastly different about taking the train.

Sure, I could have rented a room in Aalborg for more money and lived by myself or with strangers...but I'm much happier to come home every day to two familiar faces and one young face that I am growing to adore. Moreover, my commute doesn't feel like two hours lost each day--rather it is two hours spent in a productive atmosphere aboard a comfortable train that enables me to both be productive or simply relax and enjoy the view over a cup of $2.00 coffee from the train's coffee dispenser.