How much driving do you do?

[RandBlade]

There's a notion some people have here, sometimes self-fulfilling I think, that Europeans don't need to drive while Americans do.

Personally, I think it depends upon each individuals circumstances. Their job, what they do, how they live and where they live. If I had a banking job in the City of London (or NYC) and lived in London (or NYC) I might not even own a car. I don't however and this country is more than just London.

Any idea how much you drive overall? Be curious to see how it differs.

Personally, I have a job where I am responsible for various businesses across the North-West so I have to travel between them. In the past 12 months I did 20,000 miles (over 30,000 km): Last year I got a new car, had the 10k service 6 months later and the 20k service around its anniversary. I very frequently do over 100 miles in a day and sometimes upto 300.

[Nessus]

I only use public transportation!

(Because I live in a metropolitan area, comparatively speaking)

[Aimless]

I don't have a driver's license and, in large Swedish cities, that isn't much of a problem. But in much of Sweden you kindasorta have to be able to drive if you want to have a reasonably convenient existence. Up here in the north, for example, it can be a major handicap.

[littlelolligagged]

I've had my car a year and a half and I've put roughly 10,000 miles on it.

As little as possible, in other words. Public transportation isn't really an option for me, though.

[earthJoker]

I use PT or the bike to go to work. I use the car if I have to go to clients or if I have to transport more than I can carry. For trips to the Alps I sometimes use the car too.

I try to at least not drive alone. The visiting client part is currently the most difficult part to keep down, as I can't really do that much to reduce it.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Only use the car for shopping and trips or visits to family. During weekdays I hardly use the thing.

Getting a job 10 minutes walk from my home is great.

[Dreadnaught]

No need for a car, but I have one strictly for summer pleasure/hobby use. In the last year I put about a bit under 1,800 miles (2900 km) on it. For serious car drives, I may rent a car or use a car share program.

One neat car share I've seen in Boston allows you to rent cars from ordinary folks at a rate they set, which can allow for more competition and choice: https://relayrides.com/

[Ominous Gamer]

Owned the Ion for 4 years on the 18th, has 35,289 miles on it. That includes the year I was using it to drive a 40 mile round trip to work and the year and a halfish of a daily 2 hour bus ride for a 20 mile round trip.
Had the van for about a year and a half now. Its got a little under 13,000 miles on it.
I don't think a 20 mile round trip for work is that far for people around here. I know most of my coworkers drive in from other cities. I'd wager 40 miles a day is more normalish, I hated it but it seemed few people thought it was long.

We can walk to the store now, and usually do. We have a Walmart, Target, and Publix within half a mile. Even then some people think we are crazy for crossing 2 seperate 6 lane roads with 3 kids. Heck, within ~10 miles I know of 4 walmarts, 2 targets, 3 publix.

We take a yearly vacation to Georgia each year, thats about a thousand miles.

Over here there is a lot of love for whats called 1 tank trips. Which is the idea that anything within 300ish miles is easy enough and worth it to drive to.

Bus public transportation is hopeless, taking a Greyhound is like throwing your money away and an adventure of its own, the train tracks are misused and when its controlled by companies like Amtrak, its no wonder people don't use it. Flying of course goes without saying at this point.

[Draco]

I just use public transport. I don't own a car due to money issues (fuel, insurance, etc) and public transport is really good in my city, you can get anywhere really with either a bus, train or ferry. However I wish I did have a car, it's nice to just go for a long drive somewhere

[Aimless]

[Illusions]

I will very soon hit 50,000 miles in my car, however I bought it used with 15,000 miles on it...10 years ago. So maybe 3,500 miles. This includes vacations where I've driven from NY to Washington DC, Montreal, Connecticut, and the like. I think it was the 3 - 4 years commuting to NYC by train that slowed down the mile accumulation so much.

There's a notion some people have here, sometimes self-fulfilling I think, that Europeans don't need to drive while Americans do.

I don't think its this, so much as the fact that there is decent public transportation in Europe, where there really isn't here in the individual states that make up the United States.

We've lost a lot of decent part-time workers at my job simply because of the combo of our lateness policy and them relying solely on public transportation to get around. They also get locked into working around the bus schedule.

[Catgrrl]

When I was working and childless, I'd make a 50 mile round trip every day during the week. Most everything else is within 5-10 miles (not including weekend trips we would do like OG described). So, I'd say 12k+ miles per year on my vehicle alone. Hubby used to have a job that was a 100 mile roundtrip when we first got married

Now that I'm a SAHM, and Hubby's job is 5 miles from home, we probably only do 12k combined. We haven't really gone any farther than 50 miles from the house since K has been born. (Thanksgiving will be our first big trip to see the inlaws, about 300 miles away)

EDIT: I rarely actually stay home; we are out every day. So I drive on average 10-20 miles a day to run errands, go to the park, do storytime, visit family, etc.

[GGT]

One of my previous jobs was around 60 miles round trip, and I'd drive around 25,000/year. When my kids were younger we could do 30,000/year including driving for sports and vacations (once to Canada), and going "back home" means 600 miles round trip. Our 3 airports are 50-75-110 miles one way, closest Amtrak is 30 miles. Nowadays I only drive about 10,000 miles a year, but my kid can add another 10,000.

[RandBlade]

I don't think its this, so much as the fact that there is decent public transportation in Europe, where there really isn't here in the individual states that make up the United States.

Again a misconception. There is decent public transportation in the major cities of Europe, just as there is in the major cities of the US.

[Ominous Gamer]

You seem to have accidentally your "some"s

[GGT]

Again a misconception. There is decent public transportation in the major cities of Europe, just as there is in the major cities of the US.

Depends on where we live, Rand. You'd be surprised how crappy our public transportation is in many states. Plus, after the financial crisis and when fuel hit $4/gallon, many cities cut back and/or cancelled bus routes.

[RandBlade]

Depends on where we live, Rand. You'd be surprised how crappy our public transportation is in many states. Plus, after the financial crisis and when fuel hit $4/gallon, many cities cut back and/or cancelled bus routes.

I didn't say all cities.

Again, $4/gallon is not too bad compared to here. In the last 6 months I've spent well over $2,500 on fuel alone.

[GGT]

Sure, US fuel prices are lower. Even $3/gallon can be enough to bust a family budget, if there are two drivers/workers with median income under $50,000/yr. Add in mandatory auto insurance, males under age 25 pay quite a bit more. What are you trying to figure out? How many miles we drive, how much it costs us to drive, or percentage of income?

[Aimless]

don't employers cover fuel expenses?

[Lebanese Dragon]

We've lost a lot of decent part-time workers at my job simply because of the combo of our lateness policy and them relying solely on public transportation to get around. They also get locked into working around the bus schedule.

I've never studied it but what's the time gap really between buses? I'd think one every 10-15min at least on most major routes. Which means that you may arive to work a little early but not by more than 15min. If you have to walk it may be 15min + walk time is the earliest you'd be forced to arrive at the bus stop destination closest to your work, and similar timing for waking up. I'd think mostly it'd affect working way to early say before 6:00am (whenever buses start), and working way to late (whenever they stop, say midnight), you may not be able to work during those extremes.

Your situation may be different though Illusions. I agree in the U.S. many parts cars are VERY important, to get things done in an efficient manner. Shopping, working, visiting friends etc... a lot of distance very unconvienient without a car.

[GGT]

don't employers cover fuel expenses?

Nope. Well, some have a gas allowance per mile, if driving is part of their job (as in sales person). Some have company cars or trucks, and let the worker drive them home. But folks driving from exurbia to their job at the mall, or into the city---nada.

[CitizenCain]

Personally, I have a job where I am responsible for various businesses across the North-West so I have to travel between them. In the past 12 months I did 20,000 miles (over 30,000 km): Last year I got a new car, had the 10k service 6 months later and the 20k service around its anniversary. I very frequently do over 100 miles in a day and sometimes upto 300.

May as well ask here then, since this is as good an opening as I think I'll get...

What's the deal with your employers? Are they part of some sociology experiment? Mad scientists? Did they lose some ridiculous bet? Are they (or you, or your co-workers) allergic to ethernet?

Again a misconception. There is decent public transportation in the major cities of Europe, just as there is in the major cities of the US.

Again, NOT TRUE. America's "major cities" are not limited to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, but the list American cities with a mass transit system someone could actually use as a replacement to a car is limited to those three.

[Ominous Gamer]

don't employers cover fuel expenses?

some employers cover some of the cost. I'm not aware of any company (around here) that covers fuel reciepts directly. Its usually a "¢ per mile" type of thing.

[RandBlade]

May as well ask here then, since this is as good an opening as I think I'll get...

What's the deal with your employers? Are they part of some sociology experiment? Mad scientists? Did they lose some ridiculous bet? Are they (or you, or your co-workers) allergic to ethernet?

We use the ethernet more than most I suspect for many parts of the job, I can (and do) check on the performance of all the businesses live online on my iPhone or Laptop. Everyone at a senior level in my corporation always seems to be glued to their iPhone or Blackberry. I actually work from home on Mondays unless I have an appointment with somebody in which case I'll go into my office. I have an office but its so rarely used that now its shared with the accountant, unless she's working from home.

But there are many things you can only do and check when physically present. Even when physically present in one location, I'll be checking the live stats online for the others and very often pick my next destination based on those.

Again, NOT TRUE. America's "major cities" are not limited to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, but the list American cities with a mass transit system someone could actually use as a replacement to a car is limited to those three.

They're the cities I think of, maybe Boston too.

[earthJoker]

don't employers cover fuel expenses?

For driving to and from work? Or for driving during work?

[CitizenCain]

But there are many things you can only do and check when physically present.

Such as? I know a lot of managers feel this way, but... I've yet to hear anything convincing, aside from the small portion of the job that requires a face-to-face meeting and the like. I manage hundreds of boxes thousands of miles away across multiple sites, and if my bosses were bigger technophiles, I could do it without ever leaving my room (let alone my house), and for a lot cheaper too. Between IP cameras and a PA system that's accessible from the 'net, I could even bitch someone out, or fire someone from a thousand miles away, if I wanted to.

[Catgrrl]

What's so bad about a manager going into to physically be present at his offices? If you don't see what's going on, talk to people, etc then you can't improve upon business. Haven't you heard of that show Undercover Boss? Most of those people have no idea what's really going on in their company.

I've always respected managers who actually come in, see what you are doing, talk to you about things. The ones who sit up in their offices all day, talking on phones and playing on computers, well, they usually don't do a hell of a lot for anyone. Or know what the hell is going on.

But, I guess it depends on the business too. It makes sense in a lot of businesses to use technology to connect with offices, but there is still a need for people to actually interact face to face. Say, if you were safety manager; you'd need to physically come by and inspect conditions. Not everything can be done via Skype!

Cost-wise, it's probably cheaper just to do things over the net. But it may be more beneficial to a business to have physical presence for accountability reasons. Or maybe they're just a people-oriented business.

/weird babble

[CitizenCain]

What's so bad about a manager going into to physically be present at his offices?

Nothing, but Rand's been talking about how he needs to drive for work and is on call 24/7, coming home from work at 1 am and putting 10's of thousands of miles on his car a year driving between branch offices... I wouldn't tolerate that shit, and he doesn't seem too happy about it, so I was wondering why he didn't do a lot more of those crap remotely - easier for him, cheaper [probably] for the company he works for.

Haven't you heard of that show Undercover Boss? Most of those people have no idea what's really going on in their company.

No, I actually pretty much stopped watching TV when the reality craze took over, and there's only 3 shows I even bother downloading regularly. (Dexter, Burn Notice and American Dad... since one of those is an off-season/summer show, I'm down to less than an hour of TV a week on average.)

[Catgrrl]

Ah that's true. I would think given that position a company would offer to provide a vehicle for transport at least. But, ya, remote is usually the cheaper route and many companies are going that route now.

As for the show, it's not something I've watched more than twice (both times after a football game ended), but it was interesting to see these CEOs/owners pretending to be new hires at the lower level positions and show that they have no clue as to great ideas their employees have to better the company, only to have middle management never forward ideas. Also, that they can't even handle menial tasks that others do to keep the company going.

But I hear you, other than The Office there's nothing on TV I actively seek to watch.

[RandBlade]

Such as? I know a lot of managers feel this way, but... I've yet to hear anything convincing, aside from the small portion of the job that requires a face-to-face meeting and the like. I manage hundreds of boxes thousands of miles away across multiple sites, and if my bosses were bigger technophiles, I could do it without ever leaving my room (let alone my house), and for a lot cheaper too. Between IP cameras and a PA system that's accessible from the 'net, I could even bitch someone out, or fire someone from a thousand miles away, if I wanted to.

Plenty. I am head of operations for the company, and the only person in the group who directly reports to the owner. I am responsible for anything operational for the group. As part of that I am expected (and I intend) to inspect each branch weekly (a surprise inspection) to check up on issues. This has two advantages, one I get to spot any problems and fix them before they escalate, two each locations management know that I can and probably will turn up unexpected at any time so therefore they're on their toes.

Two: Training, each locations management do their own training of course, but I detect any weaknesses in the group and aim to correct them sooner than later.

Three: Knowing people. I have 200 or so employees in the group and I am for all but 7 of them their most senior person they'll ever deal with (the escalation point over their bosses). By knowing them personally, I can help resolve any HR issues prior to them becoming too serious rather than them thinking they have nowhere else to go. For the other 7 I'm still their direct boss but in that instance their escalation over me if necessary is my boss, the owner.

Four: Meetings. Try to avoid these wherever necessary, but hold one weekly one at least.

Five: Interviews. Not going to do them at home!

Six: Fire-fighting. Any problems then I am an unplanned extra person who can help, if not needed elsewhere.

Seven: Disciplinaries. I have plenty of legal experience now (will avoid details for obvious reasons) and employment law in this country can be a mine-field, so I normally host any formal disciplinaries myself.

More as well, but I try to avoid going into too much detail of my work here. Hope that gives a flavour though. As much as possible I do remotely.

Nothing, but Rand's been talking about how he needs to drive for work and is on call 24/7, coming home from work at 1 am and putting 10's of thousands of miles on his car a year driving between branch offices... I wouldn't tolerate that shit, and he doesn't seem too happy about it, so I was wondering why he didn't do a lot more of those crap remotely - easier for him, cheaper [probably] for the company he works for.

I'm actually OK with it. I have a very stressful job, but I enjoy it, couldn't imagine having a boring one. Just think its funny to hear Americans go on about driving as if its not something we have to do when it seems so far I do more than anyone else.