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Rethinking taking the bus for now

August 19th, 2011 at 01:01 am

I have been taking the bus this week to my new job. I can ride for free - a perk offered by my employer. It is supposed to take 53 minutes to get from the suburbs where I live to the front doorstep of my employer in the city. The return time is the same. It would take a minimum of 45 minutes to drive and often it takes an hour. The traffic is miserable. On the weekends, it only takes 25 minutes to drive there.

Getting to work has been taking the 53 minutes and has been fantastic. However, the route the bus takes from the city to the suburbs is a giant traffic snarl right now from various lane restrictions due to road construction. It took me 80 minutes to get home the last two days. I don't know if my sanity can take it. And, when the kids' fall activities start, I just can't spare that extra time. Perhaps my DH and I will need to keep the same work schedule for a while so we can drive together until the construction is over. The route we would drive is unaffected by this construction.

That would mean not as much gas savings but our time and the time we have with the kids is worth more to me.

5 Responses to “Rethinking taking the bus for now”

  1. starfishy Says:
    1313715671

    sounds like driving would make sense until the construction is finished and the bus route is the better option again.

  2. baselle Says:
    1313716924

    Yuck - that is the one fault of the bus, its in traffic just like you are. If its road construction, remember that it generally has a summer season because concrete cures better without a frost cycle. Could be that by the fall, the issue will disappear.

    Taking the bus or driving might not be an all or nothing thing. Might want to take the bus one day/week for a bit of cost savings, and it will give you a chance to figure out when the construction project finishes. Also sounds like getting there is no problem, but getting home is the issue. Any possibility that DH could swing around and pick you up after work? You could sweeten the deal by telling him that its either picking up you or picking up the kids. Smile
    Driving makes sense, but I'd monitor the situation, and mix it up - bus there (free), drive back ($). Doing that you'll have saved a bit of gas. And FWIW - the Kindle was made for a bus ride.

  3. frugalgirl Says:
    1313747733

    I do have a kindle, and I like the idea of taking the bus sometimes for now. I could take the bus on days when the kids have no after school activities that they need to get to. My Dh and I work at the same place, but need to stagger our work starting times because we need to wait until our younger DS gets on the school bus (DH would get him on the bus and I would leave much earlier for the bus and work). If I can convince DH to do some work at home (either in the morning or evening) perhaps we could leave work at the same time. I don't know if he feels he can do that or not.

  4. Jerry Says:
    1313777158

    I like public transportation if it is reliable and comfortable. When the routes are too long or the buses/trains are too packed, it leads me to get completely frustrated. It sounds like the trip home is a non-starter for now, but maybe you will have some insurance that the route will improve once the construction is completed? You can't beat a free pass, once that happens...
    Jerry

  5. whitestripe Says:
    1313801990

    My dad has taken a train to work (and when there was construction on the tracks, the bus too) for 15 years since he moved to the country. It takes him the better part of two hours, one way (so, usually spends around 3.5 to 4 hours a day on the train). He reads, watches movies on his ipod or portable dvd player, catches up on work, draws, and answers emails (usually mine!).

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