[NiInJa]

Since I shifted to Pune as I bought a house there, I am kind of stuck with a location and tried to minimize on commute by either:

1: Finding alternative routes
2: Taking bike to office
3: Change the job when both options above did not work

1: Finding alternative routes:
I had found a very good route to office in Phase 2 Hinjewadi from Pashan-Sus road via Nande village. It was a sort of nirvana as there were absolutely no signals and traffic was unidirectional so no worries of traffic jam even if there were plenty of other cars on the same road.
But it was a short-lived dream, the road became very bad, full of potholes and since it wasn't coming under municipal corporation, no one bothered to repair it. This, coupled with heavy traffic jams at the entry point of the road meant it was no longer usable. My current office is in Vimannagar, I use a lot of inner roads and alternative roads to avoid major traffic jams, even if they mean driving a little more.

2: Taking Bike to office: This did help a couple of times during my travel to Hinjewadi but soon became a problem as my project changed and it needed to work in UK shifts all 5 days in office. Taking bike everyday at late nights can pose a safety concern. Now, while commuting to Vimannagar from Kothrud on bike, I easily shave off 20-30 minutes compared to driving a car.

3: Changing Job: The new job offered complete flexibility, I would either be working from home, going once in a week to office or going to the client side for most days. I am thinking of working on contract for such overseas clients, which would mean I will not have any office to go to !

But it has created a new problem, I get bored at home working for days at a stretch looking at the same faces day in day out (wife, kid and maid ), so sometimes I just get in the middle of a traffic jam and unwind listening to favorite songs because I don't get such time at home or office.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by smsrini

How close is good enough to give up your own house and rent out.

Good to hear it worked out. While my commute is not as bad as Hebbal to Bellandur, I've still fantasized about shifting from my own house and moving closer to work. Especially since both my wife and I work in the same area, Bellandur. But still can't overcome the mental block about renting out our own place. And paying rent (and that Bangalore specialty - the 10-month deposit) somewhere else.

Originally Posted by NiInJa

But it has created a new problem, I get bored at home working for days at a stretch

Yeah I know the feeling, I utilize the work from home option once in a while, but I miss the energy of an office environment. Working out of home can get monotonous. I guess if the commute continues to get worse however I will find it better to work from home more often.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

One of the perks of living in a tier 2 city is not having to suffer the traffic! Although traffic in Bhubaneswar has almost doubled in the last 7-8 years. Till 4 years back I used to have a daily commute of 10-11 kms which took somewhere around 30-40mins. Post marriage I shifted closer to office, just 3.5kms away that takes 10mins on a 2 wheeler. I do travel sometimes towards my old locality during the same peak hours that I used to earlier, but now it takes 60-80mins!

[Yieldway17]

Changed my work timing to 2-10pm and it has been a breeze both ways, 27km in flat 35 mins. On very fortunate days, I even don’t have to get below 4th gear for the entire commute except for couple of speed breakers. On days when I have to go on regular time, I take the 2 wheeler.

The suburban state highway I take to work is not much crowded on even peak times but at non peak hours half the road is deserted, wouldn’t even see a motorcycle for a KM or so. I see real estate hotly picking up on this road recently, so not sure how long it will last.

[sandx]

Ever since the Hyderabad metro became operational, I have been taking the metro to office or whenever I have to go out shopping or for a movie, with my spouse in tow of course for the latter. And I have discovered my riding days all over again after buying a scooter, albeit in a much subdued manner. Every alternate day I like to take my scooter to work, the gearless factor works wonders and is a different world altogether if compared to anything geared.

The metro route in Hyderabad has been well thought out and once the Hi-Tech city line opens it will be a little bit more convenient. I really hope they maintain the standards as it is now. And I hope the public appreciates that something good has been implemented which will help in the long run. The traffic issues which the metro construction had brought in is a thing of the past now and the efficiency is somehow compensating for those days gone by.

During my commute earlier I used to see a lot of folks travelling in a cycle with a big placard hung at their backs which read in bold “Do you really need a big SUV to drive to office alone” that made me thinking although I don’t own an SUV. Besides I have been delaying my purchase of a bigger car and holding fort with my Alto, however I did splurge on the SR 150 recently. It does lower my carbon footprint I guess.

I used to take a company provided cab facility earlier, but it has its own issues and will need a whole new thread of it to discuss the nitty gritties. For now its the metro for me. I really need to get that 100 bucks I recharged through paytm for cashback into my metro card though. The amount doesn’t reflect. No pain no gain applies here as well.

[no_boundaries]

Living in Bangalore I had no option to work from home and I had to travel 60kms a day from Vidyaranyapura to Kudlu Gate. Those were the most stressful days of my life and it gradually started affecting my work. In Bangalore, what I have observed is no matter how soon you leave (unless its 7ish or before) the traffic snarls happen at one point or the other.

I started by switching to a gearless car and later switched my job where in I could plan my life a little better and have some personal time as well. That landed me in Pune and now I pay a huge rent but I live within 5kms radius to work, school and essential shopping. I also made some lifestyle changes by switching to a gearless scooter for office / solo commute and moving a lot of my shopping to e-commerce.

I've started to appreciate the walks and my wife and I connect a lot better when we walk and talk. Pune kind of helped me adopt to this lifestyle which in Bangalore would have been difficult.
I'm looking to switch to UBER/OLA commute in city and for long distance hire a self drive. Expensive in many ways but peace of mind guaranteed.

As the joy of driving no longer exists in our country I saw myself moving this direction a long time ago.

[GeeTee TSI]

As someone lucky to live and work in Navi Mumbai, I had my share of convenience of a predictable 15 minute commute (come rain or shine). It hit me when my place of work changed to Powai and I was too comfortable with Navi Mumbai's clean and planned layouts (not to mention reasonable rentals). Started out driving my car which took me 45 minutes in the morning and up to 90 in the evening. Tried the (non AC) company bus but realised I could not bear it after a few weeks.

Interestingly, I found the NMMT Volvo buses comfortable and about as fast as my driving. Another variable made its presence felt - the wait times for the buses, stretching up to 30 minutes at times. I still stick to this option since at least comfort is taken care of, also took to reading during the commute.

I am in the process of relocating to Bangalore but one of the reasons being that my office-to-be is in the northern extremities of the city which I thought (and still think) as liveable.

One of the priorities there would be finding a place as close to the office as possible

[hajaar]

I live in Chennai and work in IT. Right from the time I started working, I have been reaching office early (around 8:30ish). About 8 years ago, I changed my work day to 730 - 830. Any calls or work after that is done at home.

And now, I am moving to a new job where I have to travel outside India quite a bit. The rest of the time I will be WFH.

[yogeshsom29]

I’ve consciously chose offers from companies that give flexible work timings & has worked nicely that way till date.

My profile warrants extensive intra as well as intercity travelling & for both scenario’s I prefer local knowledge bank over Google maps.

Mumbai is not a big challenge as being born & brought up here makes it easy to plan. I’ve always preferred local trains irrespective of the rants people may have (Extensive usage experience & flexible timings helps a lot here) & take car for routes & timings that offer least traffic, even if that means taking longer route. Car is largely relegated to night, weekend or long drives.

For other cities I always consult with local team members on the best way to commute even if that means just being a pillion rider with the team member. I choose convenience/ease over entitlement when I travel on work front.

When I was in Bangalore for a couple of years ; I took an apartment within walking distance from office; it was bliss

Slightly OT but after the Bangalore experience, this thread also puts a dilemma in mind which can be a separate thread on its own “ Buying or Renting a home” . Renting makes so much sense when you are single or even a nuclear family considering the context of this thread.

Originally Posted by Axe77

You can move up in life and buy a BMW but this city will always find ways to keep you grounded. LOL. Yeh hai Mumbai meri jaan!!! :-)

True that;so well said. Since I prefer local trains a lot I've always felt that they act as a great leveler in life; Dare you remember or try to show off your designation or social status after getting in

[thelonewarrior]

In a way, I have been fortunate that when my parents moved to Hyderabad, they chose to build a home in an emerging suburb that is now very close to the IT/Financial business district. I duly opted to buy a place in the same locality when I relocated to Hyderabad from Bangalore in 2014. Although my commute is relatively short (around 5 Kms/15 mins each way), the on-going infrastructure development activities in and around my workplace can throw traffic off guard very quickly during peak office hours. Therefore, to avoid being stuck in traffic

1) I start work after noon and leave office at around 9-10 PM so that I can keep my commute to less than 15 minutes each way
2) Check G Maps before I venture out to pick the best possible route (of the 2 available options) based on traffic conditions
3) Peep out of my office window before I leave work to make sure that there is no build up of vehicles at the exit gates. (This is a new addition to my routine as it took over 30 minutes to get out of the tech park on one of the days recently)

Nobody seems to be missing out on an opportunity to share their experiences with Bangalore traffic. For a good 6 years, I used to work at a location that now seems to be the unanimous choice for most dreaded place to live/work in Bangalore - ORR (Between Bellandur and Marathahalli). Back in 2008, I used to commute (by office cab) from BTM, but I don't recollect having many bad days. However, for most part, I lived bang opposite to my work place, and used to walk to work. One thing that I vividly remember is that, as years passed by (2009- 14), the time taken to cross over to the other side of the ORR increased from less than 30 seconds to over 3-4 minutes on some days, and occasional visits to South Bangalore took longer and longer.

Traffic, as pointed out in another recent thread, is one of the major reasons why I decided to decline a job offer in Bangalore and stay put in Hyderabad. 5 years ago, I would have jumped at such an opportunity to relocate to any part of India. Now, at 33, I have more or less made up my mind that the marginal value of quality of life, peace of mind, additional productive & family time is far more valuable than materially enriching myself (only by a bit) and the government (through direct & indirect taxes).

[sharatravan]

My job takes me to different client locations, most of which are pretty far away from where I stay in Mumbai(Kandivali). Most of these clients are located towards the South of Mumbai, and in some cases, on a totally different side of the city - Nariman Point, Dadar, Lower Parel, BKC, Bhandup, Ghatkopar, Kurla - These are some of the places that I frequent. Therefore, on any given day, I travel a good 50-60kms or even more, up-down.

People who are familiar with Mumbai would understand that staying close to the office location is just not an option here - These are some of the costliest localities to rent a house in. Since my wife's work locations have always been restricted to in and around Goregaon, and given the nature of my work, it made sense to rent a house in Kandivali, where we've been staying for the last 7 years.

Here are the options I explored for my daily travel:

1. 1. Train - Fastest, but the ever increasing population eventually forced me to hit the road. I used to reach office drenched in sweat and completely messed up. Wasn't a particularly good sight, especially in front of clients.
2. 2. Cabs - Used pool cabs/individual cabs depending on urgency. Normally took 90-100 mins each side, until Metro work wreaked havoc on this city. Travel time increased to more than 2 hours. The entire city has now been dug up, roads have thinned out and traffic situation is nothing short of chaotic. Quality of life in Mumbai has become seriously pathetic.
3. Bike - Took to this mode once I realized the increasing amount of time I was spending on the road. I was able to cut down my travel time significantly. However, since most of my travel is on the dreaded Western express highway, I realized that I could not reduce the time beyond a certain limit, which is when I started thinking about alternative work timings.
   
4. Work timings - I now leave home after 10.30 AM, reach office by 11-11.30 AM, and leave post 8 PM. Takes around 45mins in the morning and slightly more than an hour in the evenings.

This set up is working for the time being, since the weather is pleasant these days. However, I shudder to think about the same arrangement in Summers/Rains. Still got to figure out what I would do then! I am actively trying to relocate to either Pune/Bangalore, where I hope life would be relatively easier.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by Axe77

What I am about to write will make sense to only people living in Mumbai and familiar with Lower Parel. I work in Lower Parel close to Urmi building and live in the Sewri

So my commute is now either a 9 min walk + 9 min drive or a 60-70 mins drive if I drive all the way.

Something we are all very familiar with. Almost everyone in my apartment block who works in Lower Parel has adopted the 10 minute walk + drive mode - as Elphinstone has become a nightmare.

Fortunately for me, my office is in BKC - a 45 minute 12 km journey is a lot more tolerable than a 75 minute 3 km journey.

I started my career with offices in Fort and living in Chembur and then New Bombay. Used local trains and buses for the first two years - and then bought my Zen. I used the port trust road (running partly under what’s now the Eastern Freeway) - could use it initially because my father had an access pass which he shared with me on days he didn’t need it. Years 5-6 of working were the start of my banking career - used to head in to work before 750 am (which let me beat the traffic and reach Nariman Point by 845); nights were not a problem as any Investment Banking associate would know - I rarely left office before midnight and so traffic was never an issue 😀.

Moved to Cuffe Parade post my wedding to be close to work - but fate struck - my wife’s office shifted to BKC and we therefore shifted to Prabhadevi once the lock in on our Cuffe Parade flat ended so that we were splitting the distance. Continued my early start policy to beat the traffic - though the definition of early shifted to 830 instead of 745.

Have now lived in Parel for 8 + years. I still try to leave for work by 830 - it takes just 30 minutes to BKC at that time vs 45 + minutes at 9. My return is no longer as late - though I still hang around till at least 745 or 8 PM partly to avoid the insane BKC peak hour rush. I used to try to schedule Lower Parel or Worli meetings either for the early mornings or late evenings. Early morning meetings (9 am - no Indian clients will ever meet before that) are still ok, but I now take Lower Parel meetings in the afternoon as I prefer traveling up and down from BKC (which takes 30 minutes each way) rather than putting up with the 75 minute drive home after an evening peak hour meeting.

I commiserate with colleagues who live in the suburbs - a 12 km journey from BKC to JVLR takes almost double the time it takes to cover the same distance to Parel.

[amitjha086]

Over last five and half years, I have the luxury of walking to my workplace as I (and all other employees) have been provided with a quarter within the premises of the hospital, a medical college. I leave my apartment at 5 minutes to 9 in the morning to cover a distance of 600 meters. I always manage to be back home for lunch at 1 pm. This way I get one hour of time as bonus with my toddler. As the engine wouldn't even warm up over 600 meters, I avoid driving to work unless it is raining or occasionally when I have to run errands to the market for grocery/bank or drop my wife to her workplace 4 km away etc. Yet, the monthly running of the car is easily over 1200 km due to frequent outstation leisure trips. I am not sure for how long this luxury would last as chances are that wife would be posted in another city soon and I would have to move along.

Anyway, I did not always have this luxury of walking to workplace. For three years before I came to my current workplace, when I worked in my hometown, I lived 10 km away from the hospital. I used to ride a bike them. Daily commute was 30 km (10 X 2=20 and a few km here and there). Occasionally, esp on weekends, when I had to make visits to "satellite clinics", the commute would be as long as 80-90 km. On one occasion, in a single day, I rode around 130 km in a day in a radius of just 15 km! A modest bike that was, Yamaha Alba with just 106 cc engine. Sold it after 4 years of purchase with 54000 km on odo!

[ramji_or]

Years ago, my workplace was 45 kms away from my home and I used my motorcycle everyday. I did this for 3 years straight and believe it or not, I loved the commute. Ofcourse, I was younger back then.

Now fortunately my workplace is just 7 kms from home and I still use my motorcycle for the commute. For city rides, I use my car only when it is absolutely necessary (read travelling with my kid).

[MaheshY1]

I moved from Delhi to Dharuhera. The one-way distance increased from 18km to 50km but the travel time remained the same - 70-75 min. Full National Highway.

Then I switched to a job that's about 12km closer but also relocated to Tapukara around the same time. The overall commute is still a little over 50km but the commute time is 80-90min one way. (20km state highway + 30km national highway)

As many people have mentioned about switching to 8-5, that timing initially worked for me too. But soon, 8-5 wasn't cutting it as many more people started commuting at those times. Commute times were becoming unpredictable.

So, I ditched the wheel and switched to 2 wheels.

Now, it takes about 50min (down from ~85min with car) on Gixxer/Impulse and 60min on the Navi. With the Impulse/Navi I'm able to find an off-road patch in case I encounter heavy traffic. The street-focused Gixxer is not as happy exploring anything off the tarmac.

I suck it up take the car when the lows go below 10 Celcius. Summers, I'm okay; even though my commute starts at 3pm in the afternoon. Winters get tough because of daylight saving.