Commuting

On the bus again, I can't wait to get on the bus again. Just kidding, I can wait to get on the bus again! I was just humming to "On the road again" and substituted "bus" for a little humor, I hope you grinned a little.

Commuting is a double edged sword IMHO.

On the positive side.
- Save wear and tear on your car every day
- Save gas every day
- Get to relax on the way in and let someone else worry about the traffic.
- Comfortable seats
- If lucky and there's no traffic, only 55 minutes from bus depot to bus drop
- They now have Wi-fi enabled on the buses so you can use your laptop as I am right now to write this blog on the way home!

On the negative side.
- You are at the mercy of the bus schedule. About 20 minutes between buses and they only start at 2:50pm in the afternoon.
- Cost is almost a monthly car payment at $315/month
- Bumpy and bus drivers are insane!
- Sometimes reading makes me car sick!

After having commuted on the NJ transit train for 11 years, I must admit that the train is a better commute than the bus. However, if I were to do the train to where I now need to go, then it would take me longer because I would have to transfer in Newark and take the path. That would add an extra $54 a month + parking at the train station to the cost of the commute.

The one good thing is you can get a NYC salary and offset a little of the cost. Doing the old commuter benefits program gives you $250/month pre-tax and that helps a little.

Do the benefits outweigh the freedom of being able to hop in the car and leave at any time? The jury is still out on that one. But I, for one, am grateful for the options as my car is getting older and I wouldn't want to be driving her into the city every day anyway. And then try to find a garage to park her in for another added cost. I can't imagine.

I wonder what other commuters think...maybe they'll share...
Thanks for listening...