Commuting Sac->Oakland (Sacramento: insurance, home, to live)

[BriannTammy]

I'm thinking of taking a job in Oakland which would require daily commute from Sacramento (Pocket area) to Oakland (near the airport). M-F work hours 7am to 4/5/6pm. Is this even possible? Does anyone do this commute?

The only other option would be for me to live close to the job M-Thurs and spend time with my family on the weekends here, which is a prospect I'm not thrilled with.

I've thought about taking the train and then switching to a bus to get to the job, but I don't think that would work, and this job is not in the best area of Oakland...

[wburg]

The problem is that you would also need to take a bus from the Pocket area to downtown Sacramento to catch the train, and the Pocket is not particularly well-served by transit. The parking lot is pretty bad for break-ins and thefts, plus the added expense of parking. Oakland is about 75 miles away, it sounds like you might miss the worst morning traffic but expect at least 90 minutes travel time--figure on leaving at 5 AM, getting home between 6:00 and 8:00 PM. Odds are any time you spend with the family on weekdays would be done while you're unconscious.

A few "supercommuters" do a commute like this, but not many, because it's a fairly insane schedule and it may end up costing more than the increased pay. Add those 20 hours a week (minimum) of travel time to your work week, and divide the rate of pay by that to determine your real hourly rate: making $20 an hour here (with a short commute) will leave you better off than making $30 an hour there (especially once you include gas, tolls, insurance, eating out, extra childcare, etc.)

[Phil Minor]

Its possible but not particularly pleasant. The issue is that you are going to be stuck in the car or train for long periods of time. If you go the train route look at the monthly fair option. That might make the trip more affordible and you might be able to get some stuff done on the train. Depending on what you do, your boss may allow you to do some of your work on the train instead of in Oakland. If so that commute becomes a lot more workable.

I would skip the buses completely and look into getting an electric bike. You don't have to wait around for a bus, you can take the bike on the train and take it to and from where you work.

Amazon.com: e-Joe E-Transformer Electric Bicycle: Sports & Outdoors

[luvsdogs]

Originally Posted by BriannTammy

I'm thinking of taking a job in Oakland which would require daily commute from Sacramento (Pocket area) to Oakland (near the airport). M-F work hours 7am to 4/5/6pm. Is this even possible? Does anyone do this commute?

The only other option would be for me to live close to the job M-Thurs and spend time with my family on the weekends here, which is a prospect I'm not thrilled with.

I've thought about taking the train and then switching to a bus to get to the job, but I don't think that would work, and this job is not in the best area of Oakland...

Good luck...don't do it!