Job-seeking and Having One's Own Transportation
 

When I read the question on job applications that says "Do you have your own transportation?", I know they are not asking, "Do you have your own bicycle?"

Sigh.

How do those of you that are 100% car-free handle this?

I have a desk job, so I'm more likely to be asked if I can sit for 8 hours straight.

For you the answer is always "yes" until the questions get more specifically to mention an automobile. What exactly do you do?

I can assure them that I have my own transportation. And with decades of experience commuting by bicycle, I can assure them that my on-time record is better than drivers and that because I bicycle, I can arrive at work in conditions that prevent drivers from making it.

I am currently a preschool teacher. I am thinking about signing up on a sitter website so that I can work as a nanny and pet sitter. I know full well that I can ride my bicycle to people's homes, but that is not what they expect from a nanny or pet sitter.

@ Artkansas: When I worked as an after-school tutor, I always arrived on-time or before time, while my colleague, who was also a tutor, ended up quitting because she was consistently late due to rush hour traffic.

You could always get a bakfiets.

http://bakfiets.nl/nl/data/image/22/513.jpg

If there is an emergency, you can call an ambulance.

Advertise your services on the side of the box. Make bicycling into an asset, not a liability.

Nice, haha, but I don't think parents will approve of that.

I want to click "yes" for the transportation question. If I do, and they find out that it's a bicycle, then there goes my credibility.

I don't understand. If the question is transportation, then you have answered honestly. If the question is car, and it's a necessity, then you need to get one. Is there an assumption that transportation = car? Does it affect how well you do your job?

I was serious in my bakfiets message, it shows that you are in good shape, that you don't smoke, that you can get kids to their necessary appointments. You won't make every prospective employer happy no matter what, so best to be yourself.

Is the app a hard copy? If so, just hand-write in that you have a bike. If it's electronic is there a place to clarify?

Apply for the job anyway. If they require you to visit clients with heavy equiptment, then you'll just turn it down. You might not want that kind of job anyway because there are loads of companies looking for people to use up their cars selling their product without compensating them for wear and tear. If that's the case, you're better off looking for another job.

I decided not to apply. The site further seeks to investigate my motor vehicle record.

As long as you have a license, that should turn up well because you probably don't have any violations. When I switched to having "no car" insurance, the insurance company ran a check and the state sent me a duplicate copy of what they sent them. It says that I have no violations against me. Being licensed and insured might help.

I say yes I have my own realible form of transportation...And I always look for jobs which don't require me to use my own vehicle to drive around as part of the job. If the business provides their own company vehicle then it's fine with me as I have a drivers license. I worked for the same employer for 15 years and my trackrecord is excellent. If I ever change jobs the new employer is welcome to call my old company and get references. Just because I use a bicycle to get to work doesn't mean that I am irressponsible.

Don't be afraid to apply. There are plenty of jobs that check your motor vehicle records and most now conduct credit checks! Do you have serious violations?

If one makes the choice to be completely car-free, some doors will be closed. Some career choices will be impossible. This needs to be considered and it is part of the reason a decision to become completely car-free is significant and complex for some.

If I were to become completely car-free, I could not continue in my job. At present, it would also be difficult to live in my community without a car, although this part will likely change within the next couple of years. If I were to get into another line of work and if I were to move to a larger centre, a car-free lifestyle would be much more attainable.

This week I inquired about a delivery job. I got a notification from the local job service about it. Before sending a resume I first asked via e-mail if the company paid for the mileage in addition to the hourly pay plus tips. The owner of the company replied that there was no mileage reimbursement. I then sent this message to him:

"Wow! So you have a driver use his personal car about 20 miles in an hour which depreciates it at 56 cents per mile. Twenty times 56 cents is $11.20. That means unless your drivers earn gigantic tips they're losing $11.20 of their personal assets per hour while taking in only $10 per hour. This doesn't even include the fuel costs.

At least slaves are fed by their masters and given a place to live."

His reply: "I appreciate you taking the time to attempt to analyze our drivers compensation, but wish to inform you that you are very far from the corrent calculation. Our drivers earn a healthy hourly wage and very good tips on top of that. They typically take about 1 delivery per hour and they all LOVE their jobs and are making good money.

Your depreciation calculation that takes $0.56 for every mile would nearly leave every car with over 50,000 miles in America worth $0 which is simply not the case."

I didn't bother to reply. Even if the depreciation were half that amount he would still be paying people very little for their efforts.

A bicycle is transportation. There is no other way of looking at it. Unless they ask you if you own a car as your transportation you are being truthful by saying you have reliable transportation.

Yep. for me, it's not a problem. I've been car-free in cities the size of Los Angeles down to the areas so small they weren't even incorporated; and I've worked in such diverse tasks as shipping clerk, pizza maker, hardware store employee, weapons system technician, graphic artist, computer animator and creative director.

Currently in Little Rock, I look at other neighborhoods and while they may be attractive, my first question is "How far to the nearest grocery store?" I haven't found a better answer that balances all my needs than the one I came up with when I first moved here. There are plenty of other apartments in the neighborhood, but the utility of exchanging one for another is pretty limited.

From what she said though, I can see that a parent with child might have worries about a nanny or dog sitter who doesn't have a car not being able to take care of the child/pet in an emergency. As a car-free person I know that any problem can be dealt with, but signing up to a service as she is, without a particular client, she has legitimate worries of red tape and arbitrary requirements of being car-bound. I understand her decision. I hope it won't stop her though. But then again, it might not hurt to try. The worst that could happen is that they might say no, which is the same outcome as her deciding not to apply.

All true. Another significant factor to consider if/when making a decision to become completely car-free is its effect on family life. If a person's decision on this issue would have no effect on family, then the decision does become less complex.

A question about transportation is only relevant to answer if you can make it to work on time unless regular transportation is a part of the job (like a delivery person). You are completely okay to answer the question "yes." If you are in an interview and they ask "do you have a car?" answer "I am able to get to work on time." If travel or carrying loads in a timely manner is a part of the job, you should probably look elsewhere. Still, be aware that asking "do you have a car?" is an inappropriate and possibly illegal interview question unless related directly to the requirements of the position.

meh. If you're babysitting and have an issue, call an ambulance .. it will probably arrive faster than you can get to a hospital, and a paramedic is on board too. The cost of an ambulance ride here is marginally more than what the hospitals will gouge you for parking.

If you're pet sitting, call a taxi and while you wait talk to the vet on the phone.

I realize challenging the narrow-mindedness of your potential employer is not a good idea, and difficult territory though.

Purpose of my original post summed up well here:

Is it safe to assume you have no small children and never have hired a baby sitter?
And that you have never paid the cost of an ambulance ride in the U.S.?

I would far rather pay for an ambulance than let my child get in a car with a near stranger whose driving skills are unknown. Also, I doubt if any babysitting service would allow employees to transport a child in their own car anyway. On top of that, it would probably be illegal to drive the child unless the employee had a chauffeur's license and a commercial insurance policy.

On another issue, I doubt if its illegal for a job interviewer to ask about car ownership. AFAIK, the only illegal questions have to do with age, religion, ethnicity, and in some places sexual orientation.

What makes you think a parent uses total strangers for baby sitting? Or that anyone can expect only known acquaintances to show up driving an ambulance?

Illegal to drive a child to a hospital without a chauffeur's license and a commercial insurance policy? Sounds pretty flaky to me.

I'm sorry. I thought we were talking about a babysitting service as opposed to getting Aunt Fanny or the high school girl down the street to watch the kids. My bad.