OT, perhaps, but a great helper of a discussion. I'm glad you asked. 

One possibility I don't think you mentioned below, Ana, was putting two transit points together. Can you ride the bus to a certain point, like, as far as it will take you towards your workplace, and then get Uber or Lyft to take you the rest of the way? And do the same in reverse when going home? It would get easier with the timing after you do it a few times, I'm sure. And while doing that, of course, you would be looking for a possible personal connection  to begin taking you on a daily basis, hopefully for a little less than the official charge. 

Also, with your retired family member, you could start paying them an hourly wage or set fee, plus the mileage, just as you would have to with any driver. They may be retired and even have too much time on their hands and not know what to do with it yet. But their time is valuable. Heck, they could be getting paid as a Lyft or Uber driver (smile).  

If you're contracting in your own business, although it sounds like you were, but are now going in as an actual employee, if you go back to your own business getting gigs here and there, you could contact your regional SCORE office and talk about transportation options. Lots of retired seniors could use something to do as well as use some extra income. Networking with SCORE members might lead to, well, only God knows. But it's worth looking into, IMO. 

Blessings to your efforts, Ana!


Regards
Everett




-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Ana G
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2018 4:47 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] OT -- Getting to Work

Hi All,
This is off topic, but I'm hoping list moderators will indulge me 
because I'm not sure where to take this question.
In a nutshell, I'd like to know how people get to work without spending 
a lot of money.
Right now, I work in town, going to different job sites every day. I 
have a driver, who's actually a retired family member. I don't pay this 
person beyond lunch and other odds and ends, but I do cover car expenses.
I'm thinking about applying for a regular nine-to-five job. It's in the 
next town over, thirty-five miles away. The location is outside my 
driver's comfort zone though she says she's willing to do it if I need 
her to. So I'm trying to figure out what else I can do.
* public transportation isn't an option because the job is in the next 
town over.
* I tried using fare calculators on ride services like Uber and Lift, 
but it sounds like I would be spending about forty percent of my 
take-home pay on transportation.
* paratransit doesn't work because these services famously have a 
two-hour window for pick-ups and drop-offs, which is a bit broad for 
work. In this case, there are the added complications of needing to 
cross a county line and needing to have a qualifying income.
* I know someone who worked a deal out with a Lift driver. Basically, 
the driver takes him to and from work everyday off the books for a lower 
price. I could do this, but it would take a little while to get to know 
the driver in order to approach the topic.
* Ideally, I would find someone at work who lives in town and would 
drive me at least part way (e.g., we could meet at a corner that is on 
this person's way, even if I have to get there via public transportation 
or my driver). But again, it would take a while to develop enough of a 
relationship with my coworkers to make this happen.
Any other suggestions or experiences that might help me brain-storm how 
to get to work on time without going broke?
Thanks, and again, I apologize for being off topic.
Ciao


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