Public Transport

So today is the first time I've driven to work all year. So I've been regulated by someone else's schedule instead of my own. I've traded in about an hour of NPR time for an hour of reading time on the buses/train.

Mostly it's been because my dad has been around, sharing the car and helping to shuttle the kids around on their many journeys. But I've discovered that there is a free shuttle bus near my house. If I leave my house early enough and walk ten minutes, I can get to work completely free. No gas. No parking. Just a little bit of time on my own two feet. Absolutely free. Even with the employer offering up free trainrides, that $3 parking at Caltrain has always been a little bit of a limiting factor for me. I would have to stop by the machine to pay for parking. I'd need to carry around money to pay for parking. Compared to hopping in the Prius, it just hadn't seemed worth it.

Theere are only two drawbacks. I do have to get up a little earlier to make it all work. The bus schedule doesn't line up exactly with the train schedule and my morning commute becomes closer to an hour than a thirty minute drive. Second, I don't help get the kids ready in the morning. I guess that isn't so bad, but I do miss them a bit on those mornings.

So I guess the current gameplan is to try to take public transportation more. Save a little money. Given the duties with the kids, I'm hoping for about 3 days a week.