https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 09 May 2026 02:33:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769961 Sat, 26 Aug 2017 07:57:13 +0000 Shree1990 2769961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Your situation sounds much more appealing to me. My choice was between 40 minutes drive if I go alone, and 1 hour and a half with the car pool. But I still took the car pool. It allowed me to make friends and that extra time helped me sort out a few things for myself. The greatest feeling was that I was doing something for my environment and I consider it the best investment in my child's future. A healthy earth. So I would encourage you to take the more eco-friendly option for your overall benefit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769839 Fri, 25 Aug 2017 11:51:21 +0000 periwinklebee 2769839@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@codeitall: Mine is done through my employer. I don't have to do anything, the cost of my transit pass is just taken out of my paycheck, and they automatically take care of it being pre-tax. I don't know exactly, but maybe if you don't have this option it can just be claimed on tax forms ex post or something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769829 Fri, 25 Aug 2017 11:42:04 +0000 codeitall 2769829@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ah! I had a huge response to each of you written up and it disappeared! Ugh. Well, basically you've convinced me ;)</p> <p>I'll check the notice period from daycare and make sure my brother in the area is alright being on call. Charging up my kindle paperwhite to get more reading in and considering going down to one car!</p> <p>@periwinklebee: Do you know if the pre-tax has to be done through the employer? I negotiated my salary to account for them not having a program for public transit. Is it like an HSA where I get the taxes back when I file my taxes if I pay with post-tax dollars? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769667 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 17:37:50 +0000 PawPrints 2769667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm a huge proponent of public transit and ride it every day. It enables us to be a one-car family, and even that car has less than 5,000 miles on it in the last 12 months. It's so freeing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769627 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 14:47:06 +0000 catlady 2769627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have only ever taken public transportation (or walked) to work, so I'd obviously choose that. Hehe. Our daycare gives us an hour lead time if they call and need us to pick up the kids, so I would check on that. But otherwise, the situation you describe is similar to ours (currently, I can walk 30 min to work, and DH has a 45 min commute on public transportation). It's worked out fine for years now. We are lucky that our daycare is extremely close to our home and that has helped in terms of dealing with drop-off/pick-up since technically either of us can do it even though usually it's me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769621 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 14:06:17 +0000 periwinklebee 2769621@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I take public transit to work everyday and love it, and will continue to do so after I have a baby in January. We're lucky that we got a spot in a great daycare right next to the station, but even if we ultimately find a different daycare I would try to make it work to cut down on the stress of commuting. I'm assuming that the public transit you have access to is reasonably reliable. </p> <p>Another thing to consider if you do it is that you're allowed to pay up to a certain amount for public transit pre-tax, and many employers will subsidize a share of public transit. I end up after the subsidy paying $40/month, most of which is pre-tax. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769601 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:12:38 +0000 sauerkraut 2769601@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In your situation, I'd take public transit. I'd probably drive kiddo to daycare, park at the station, and let the daycare know that I'm 40 minutes away in case of emergency (you won't be the only one who can't respond within 10 minutes if daycare calls). Maybe check in with friends/family/neighbors to see if there's someone you could call on who works or lives closer to daycare who could respond quickly if there was a true emergency.<br /> I loved being able to ride public transit when I lived somewhere it was possible. You can actually do something on the train (I read so much). Now I feel like commuting by car sucks up two hours of every day that could be put to much better use. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769593 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 12:31:56 +0000 avivoca 2769593@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If I could take public transit, I would do it, hands-down. Theoretically, I CAN take the bus from my daycare, but it's a lot faster for me to drive, even with traffic (the bus would take AT LEAST an hour). So in an ideal world, I would drive to daycare, park, drop-off, and then take the bus.</p> <p>I did take the bus downtown when I was on jury duty and it was awesome. I loved it and it only took 30 minutes because it was an 'express' line. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769591 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 12:29:28 +0000 erinbaderin 2769591@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think in your situation, I would take public transit. I'm in a similar situation and have drive, but the difference for me is that the public transit I would be taking is the bus, which goes on the same highways I'm driving on, so traffic is going to be a factor either way. Public transit would be cheaper, but not necessarily faster or more convenient. For you, it sounds like it will be faster and more convenient, so I think the trade off of less flexibility is worth it. If there was a daycare emergency that absolutely couldn't wait for the next train you could take a taxi - it wouldn't be cheap but in that kind of huge emergency you probably wouldn't care. Most things (kid has a fever, etc) can wait a little bit. My job is, best case scenario, a 45 minute drive from daycare (assuming my kids get sick at 3am on a weekend :wink: ) and it's never been a problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/considering-public-transportation#post-2769573 Thu, 24 Aug 2017 11:35:29 +0000 codeitall 2769573@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well ladies, I got the job! :grin: But now my little commute of 15 minutes with the daycare dropoff... is going to be at least 25 minutes (with no daycare stop and without traffic haha). Plus, construction on the freeway exits around my new office starts up in a few months, and will run for a couple years :shocked: But taking the train is only 35 minutes with a bonus of a little walk to my office building.</p> <p>My train station is an 8 min drive from my house and 5 min drive from daycare. So I'd still have to drive to the station. And it only runs every half hour.</p> <p>In theory, I could also carpool with someone else in my neighborhood, but she has a daycare drop off too and neither of our cars can handle all 3 car seats.</p> <p>Basically, for those of you that take public transportation (or carpool), is it worth losing some convenience/flexibility? How do you handle daycare drop off and pickup? What happens if you have a daycare emergency? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2739818 Thu, 25 May 2017 06:59:35 +0000 Littlebit7 2739818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do the Acela. Every seat is like business class. It's not fancy but the seats are all large. The upgrade there is to first but totally not worth it imo<br /> Get a red cap, they are super helpful.<br /> Also make sure you don't get on a quiet car with the kids. You will not only get major side eye, but you will probably be loudly berated by other passengers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2739799 Thu, 25 May 2017 04:08:42 +0000 808love 2739799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Business had free drinks and huge snack pack. Worth upgrade if paid in points but bad for paying cash. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728974 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 16:06:05 +0000 lioneyes 2728974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have a redcap (Amtrak porter) help you with your bags in the station- they will get you to your track and onto the train before it boards for everyone. You can be assured of good seats and you just have to tip them. (In phila/NYC you take an escalator down to the track, so they escort you in the special elevator if you have a stroller or a lot of baggage).</p> <p>I don't think there is a huge difference in coach/business on the regular train or on the Acela. I think if you weee willing to pay for the upgrade, you should just do the Acela (coach). It's very nice and will be faster than the regional train. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728962 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 15:46:12 +0000 youboots 2728962@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LAZB: I would get a seat for the baby though if you do the little table otherwise you might have a stranger sitting with you </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728945 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 15:23:49 +0000 LAZB 2728945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Awesome, thanks y'all </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728940 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 15:11:41 +0000 youboots 2728940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Coach is fine. Try to get seats were you all face each other with a little table in between that's what I recently did for a bachelorette trip and it was a four hour train ride- super roomy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728924 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:55:12 +0000 MrsSCB 2728924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There's really not that much of a difference between the two, at least not enough to be worth the extra money, especially given how short the trip is. Even coach is much more roomy than airplanes :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728922 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:49:05 +0000 SeptMomma12 2728922@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you take the Acela (highly recommended over the regional), coach should be perfectly fine. If you get on early enough, you may be able to get 4 seats together with a table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/amtrak-suggestion#post-2728912 Tue, 25 Apr 2017 14:35:45 +0000 LAZB 2728912@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are planning a trip in June to go to D.C. And Philadelphia, it will be me, DH, DD (2.5) and DS (8 months).<br /> We are flying to D.C., and flying home from Philly, but thought we'd take the train in between the two.<br /> Should we do coach or upgrade to business class? It would be a little under two hour ride, and around $100 total for coach and around $220 total for business. </p>