I ditched the subway for my commute and bought a $500 electric scooter. I'm saving thousands while having fun and am never going back.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.Thomas Pallini/Insider

• I bought an electric scooter to replace the subway portion of my office commute.
• The result has been a more exciting commute that's giving me more freedom and letting me see more of Manhattan.
• I'm also saving at least $127 per month by not paying for a New York City Subway monthly pass.

Commuting to New York City for work used to be the worst part of my day.

oneinchpunch/Shutterstock

Before the pandemic, I was spending at least three hours a day waiting for trains and subways to take me a distance of roughly 80 miles round-trip.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

It also cost me a whopping $435 every month. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to paying it again once the work from home period ended.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I finally resolved to return to the office after 16 months of working from home in July, and decided to make a change for the better in how I commute. The solution: an electric scooter.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Here's how I radically changed my commute while saving money and having more fun.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

First, meet my pre-pandemic morning commute. It started with a 1-mile drive from my house to my local train station where I'd catch the express train to New York City's Pennsylvania Station.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Once at Penn Station, I connected to the A subway train for the five-stop journey to Fulton Street station, just two blocks from the Insider office.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Then, after a series of passageways and stairs, I came to the surface just feet away from my building's entrance.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I quickly realized early on that although convenient, I was spending most of my waking hours in New York City, also known as the greatest city in the world, but wasn't seeing any of it beyond the 200 feet from the subway to my office building's lobby.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Enter the Turboant X7 Pro electric scooter. After months of exhaustive research and watching YouTube views, I settled upon the X7 Pro since it was one of the few affordable scooters that could carry my weight.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The maximum load on the scooter is 275 pounds which is more than enough to carry me plus a backpack with my necessities for the day.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I can ride for around eight miles on a full charge, and my office is only four from Penn Station. It takes six hours to charge back up, which is perfect for an eight-hour workday.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Even as a heavier person, I can ride at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour, which makes for a quicker commute. It never takes more than 20 minutes to get from Midtown to the Financial District.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The one downside is that it's quite heavy for a scooter at 33 pounds in total.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I don't enjoy carrying it on stairs or through the lobby of our office building, though I am getting used to it.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The scooter plus the helmet cost $528, more than the cost of the monthly rail passes I was buying before the pandemic. But by cutting out the subway, I'd actually be saving more than the scooter costs in just a few months' time.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

A monthly subway pass in New York City costs $127, so I'd be in the black after just five months of scooter commuting. That's no small amount and I can quite easily put that to something more useful than subway rides.

A MetroCard.      Ben Harding/Shutterstock

I'd inevitably have to take the subway on some days since I don't want to scoot in the rain or snow. But as long as that expense doesn't grow too much, I should still break even in five months.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

It's also easier to do those one-off subway trips since the Metropolitan Transportation Authority installed tap-to-pay "OMNY" readers. All I have to do is tap my card and not have to worry about bringing a MetroCard with me every day.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

My new commute starts at Penn Station where, after finding the quickest way to the surface, I head down 7th Avenue.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

At 30th Street I join a protected bike lane with parked cars separating me from the roadway.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

There are still challenges, even with bike lanes, and vigilance is required. People will often walk into the bike lane without looking and then get angry when I don't stop for them.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

One lady that had absentmindedly wandered into the active bike lane told me to watch where I was going when I passed her. But I've noticed doing the same as a pedestrian so I am now more mindful of that.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Cars making turns are also an issue as they won't look at the bike lane before making their turn. I'm constantly swerving out of the way of drivers focused only on the crosswalk and not the bike lane.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Outdoor dining spots are not a huge issue on my route but there are a few that I have to slow down for, and some do block street signage.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

But once I get closer to downtown, I take a side street over to the Hudson River Greenway where I can take a bike path the rest of the way. This is where the commute gets really fun.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

To my right is the Hudson River and Jersey City…

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

And straight ahead is the Freedom Tower.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Flat straightaways are where I can get the scooter up to its top speed of 20 miles per hour.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The Financial District then has a lot of closed streets surrounding the Freedom Tower so I don't have to worry about cars when I cross over to my building.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

There is one small hill, however, and my scooter can only get up to eight miles per hour.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

But that's the last hurdle standing in the way of my office building, at which point I fold up the scooter and walk the rest of the way.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

And unlike a bike, I don't sweat while riding because I'm exerting a minimal amount of effort. The scooter literally does all the work.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Cost savings aside, scooting has greatly improved my daily commute. I have bounds of more freedom instead of relying on the subway. Plus, I see more of New York City.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I enjoy the ride and get to have fun on my commute, which many can't say. I can sing along to music, break out some dance moves, and even explore new neighborhoods.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The scooter has made me somewhat lazier, though, and I find myself wanting to scoot short distances - like down a hallway - because I'm so used to scooting everywhere. But scooting is so much more preferable to the subway.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I also started scooting around my town instead of driving to run errands or go to the gym, when possible.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The scooter rides quite well and while it doesn't come with any extras like a device holder or mobile application to which I can connect, it's still a great machine.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

It does come with cruise control and all I have to do is hold down the throttle for six seconds and a beeping sound lets me know it's ready to activate.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

The system isn't perfect as it's based on the power setting and not miles per hour. Secondly, the beeping doesn't stop if I choose not to activate cruise control.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

But it allows me to just focus on steering and gives me my thumb back. Even still, I try not to use my phone at all because even a small pothole can be devastating.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

I can ride from my house to my train station and then from Penn Station all the way to the office, and still have some charge left. I rarely use my car anymore during the week.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider

Even though it may be more difficult to ride once things return to full swing, I can say that I love my scooter and it's proving to be one of the best investments of my life.

Commuting to work on an electric scooter.      Thomas Pallini/Insider