These days, bikes are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transportation on many US college campuses. Though the US, in general, may not be as receptive to the idea of replacing cars with bicycles as many places in Europe, college students across the nation seem to have found considerable value in using bikes to get from point A to point B on campus.

There are a myriad of reasons why college students might choose to ride bikes on campus, from being environmentally conscious to simple personal preference. If you’re considering joining the club, here are a few of the benefits of ditching your car for a bike on campus:

1. Save money.

Opting to ride a bicycle around campus instead of a car will save you some serious dough. With the ridiculous cost of gasoline these days, what cash-strapped college student would choose to spend money on transportation instead of important things like books (or, if we’re being honest, late-night snacks and music festival tickets)? While a bicycle might be a little pricier than walking, there are plenty of places to buy cheap used bikes – in fact, some college campuses even have their own used bike sales.

2. Protect the environment.

In addition to saving money, choosing to ride bicycles over cars helps to protect the environment by reducing harmful emissions. Bike riding is an easy way to do your part in helping to preserve our planet and keep your college campus free of stinky exhaust fumes. Go green!

3. Park with no hassles.

Any college student who has decided to bring a car to school can attest to the fact that finding a parking space on campus can be hell on wheels. With most parking spaces dedicated to faculty and staff, you may have to circle campus five times before you find somewhere to park – and even then you might end up having to walk half a mile to your destination. What busy college student has time for that? The beauty of bikes is that you can park them virtually anywhere.

4. Get to class quicker.

As you learned above, having a car on campus does not always mean you will be able to get to class quicker. Bikes eliminate not only the wasted time searching for parking spaces, but also the wasted time spent sitting in traffic or taking roundabout routes, seeing as many colleges do not have streets running directly through campus. Thus, choosing to ride a bicycle might mean you are able to hit that snooze button one more time in the morning. And every college student knows how precious a few more minutes of sleep can be.

5. Exercise!

Last, but certainly not least, bikes are a great opportunity for you to get in shape – without ever having to set foot in the gym! With so many college students over-committed and pressed for time, it’s nice to be able to kill two birds with one stone and fight off the Freshman 15 while you are dashing between classes or on your way to meet some friends.

Cycling is a great full-body workout that will keep your heart healthy and your muscles tight, as evidenced by the growing popularity of spinning classes. By riding a bicycle on campus, however, you won’t have to shell out the money for a gym membership, and you can enjoy the fresh air and beautiful surroundings rather than the Rorschach-sweat-blot test on the back of that guy spinning in the row in front of you.

As you can see, the increased popularity of bicycles on college campuses across the nation is not without reason. There are a great variety of benefits that come from opting to ride bikes over cars, and hopefully one or more of them will speak to you, so you can join the movement and add to the presence of bikers on your campus.