What is your commute like?

E Double U

CyberCop123 said:

Which do you prefer:

A) CAR

or

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

...

I prefer public transportation. I get a lot done during the train ride, save money (gas, wear/tear), less chance of getting into an accident or traffic citation (I drive fast), employer pays for train pass, plus one less vehicle contributing to traffic and pollution. 

Danielm7

I left a job with a <10 minute walk to work at a job with a 30'ish minute drive. On the trade-off I've more than doubled my salary in a few years and get a few days a week working remotely. I've had much worse commutes when one office that was nearly an hour away was bought out and moved and was spending almost 90 minutes each way before I left. I still have bad memories of Friday nights driving home taking 2+ hours every week. 

stryder144

15 minutes without traffic and if the traffic lights are good to me.  Usually closer to 30 minutes due to my office building being in a tech heavy area.  On stupid weather days, could take as long as an hour or two to get home.

paul78

Do most people subconsciously believe that their commute is shorter than reality to make themselves think it's not that bad?

My commute used to be about an hour and 40 minutes from door to door but I used to say to myself that it's only an hour. But it was about a 60 minute drive, 30 minute train, and 10 minute walk.

And before that, I used to commute long distance, commute about 6 hours on Monday and Friday. Stayed in hotel with a 20 minute public transportation ride to office dur8ing the week.

These days, I commute to see my clients only about 3-4 times a month. My daily commute is a short-walk down the hall to my home office with the occasional power-struggle with the cat to get out of my chair. The power-struggle is real and I have the scratches on my hands to prove it.

E Double U

paul78 said:

 My daily commute is a short-walk down the hall to my home office with the occasional power-struggle with the cat to get out of my chair. The power-struggle is real and I have the scratches on my hands to prove it. 

I put my money on Catbert  

MontagueVandervort

CyberCop123 said:

Advantage for public transport is that you can sometimes wind down after work by having a drink, or watching Netflix.  Disadvantage is that often you're squashed in for an hour with others or stood up without a seat and tired.

Drinking on public transport??? (Illegal in most areas)
Or did you mean drinking before getting on public transport? This doesn't sound like a good idea either.

MontagueVandervort

paul78 said:

Do most people subconsciously believe that their commute is shorter than reality to make themselves think it's not that bad?

It's possible.

I know that my commute has come to seem much shorter than when I first began making it years ago.

I guess I always compare it to my dad's commute. He had a 3-hour (1 way, so 6 total) commute everyday. I think if he did that for his family for over 25 years, I can do a simple 30-35 commute daily for myself.

But I would need at least a 20-minute commute for the wind down time either way as driving helps me relax and process my thoughts.

CyberCop123

MontagueVandervort said:

CyberCop123 said:

Advantage for public transport is that you can sometimes wind down after work by having a drink, or watching Netflix.  Disadvantage is that often you're squashed in for an hour with others or stood up without a seat and tired.

Drinking on public transport??? (Illegal in most areas)
Or did you mean drinking before getting on public transport? This doesn't sound like a good idea either.

It's quite common on trains in the UK.  Often on weekdays and especially on Fridays on a train.   It is illegal on the London Underground system (Subway).  Most train stations sell cans/bottles of beer and also wine too.  

CyberCop123

paul78 said:

Do most people subconsciously believe that their commute is shorter than reality to make themselves think it's not that bad? 

Not sure about subconciously, but I think people using public transport calculate it way below the real figure.  

For example, people often say:  "My train only takes 30 minutes... so the commute isn't too bad".  Therefore they assume their commute is 30 minutes.

However:

- walk to train station (10 minutes)
- Wait on platform, 2-3 minutes
- Delays - who knows
- Walk from the otherside to work (10-20 minutes)

So in reality it is closer to 60 minutes.

Public transport people also often forget that a car is always parked outside.  Whenever you leave the house, it's there waiting.  However, public transport isn't like that.  You MUST be at the train station or bus stop at a specific time.  That is often overlooked by some or not appreciated I've found 

MontagueVandervort

CyberCop123 said:

MontagueVandervort said:

CyberCop123 said:

Advantage for public transport is that you can sometimes wind down after work by having a drink, or watching Netflix.  Disadvantage is that often you're squashed in for an hour with others or stood up without a seat and tired.

Drinking on public transport??? (Illegal in most areas)
Or did you mean drinking before getting on public transport? This doesn't sound like a good idea either.

It's quite common on trains in the UK.  Often on weekdays and especially on Fridays on a train.   It is illegal on the London Underground system (Subway).  Most train stations sell cans/bottles of beer and also wine too.  

Ah makes sense now some of the things I see happening over there on the rails.

CyberCop123

MontagueVandervort said:

CyberCop123 said:

MontagueVandervort said:

CyberCop123 said:

Advantage for public transport is that you can sometimes wind down after work by having a drink, or watching Netflix.  Disadvantage is that often you're squashed in for an hour with others or stood up without a seat and tired.

Drinking on public transport??? (Illegal in most areas)
Or did you mean drinking before getting on public transport? This doesn't sound like a good idea either.

It's quite common on trains in the UK.  Often on weekdays and especially on Fridays on a train.   It is illegal on the London Underground system (Subway).  Most train stations sell cans/bottles of beer and also wine too.  

Ah makes sense now some of the things I see happening over there on the rails.

Us Brits love to drink!! 

Kyrak

3 Weeks a month -
30 seconds to walk to home office, goes up to 2 mins if I hit the coffee maker before I log in

1 Week a month - 
10 Min Uber to airport
1.5 hour flight then 1 hour flight - more like 4 hours total with a connection.
30 mins drive to hotel
5 min drive each day to / from office
then the reverse to get back home at end of the week.

It sounds bad when I type it out but you get used to it and I use the frequent flyer miles /hotel points to take my girlfriend on great trips which dulls the pain.

Swift6

On some days, 30 minute drive. Others 20 min walk and 30 min train ride.
Daily commute can make a difference to your day.

britchick01

i work in London and the commute is:
10 min drive to station
1 hour train journey
10 min walk to office

thats without the lovely delays 

scaredoftests

LinuxRacr said:

Get out of bed, go to desk, login.

That is my husband's commute. lol

Pmorgan2

kaiju said:

10 minutes both ways or 20 minutes by bike when the weather permits.

Same .  This was a major consideration when accepting my position.

I have done 45 minutes driving on main roads and 45 minutes driving on small roads in the past.  While I learned to enjoy them (listening to audiobooks/podcasts/learning a language), I don't want to go back.

Your 60 minute train + ~15 minute transfer might be a bit extreme.  I think it's harder to focus on audio media when on busy public transport, especially if you have transfers.  The cramped standing might be fine at first, but it'll probably get old.