How do you get to work every day at the beginning of your shift? How do you get home? For many of us, our commute is a routine as unchanging as eating and sleeping. A large number of us get to work every day by driving a personal vehicle. We take it for granted that we are taking advantage of the most cost-efficient and satisfying means available to arrive promptly and ready to work.

But the swiftly rising price of gasoline should be an urgent stimulus to make us re-examine our commuting strategy. Across the U.S., the price for one gallon of regular-grade gasoline has risen from about $1.50 two years ago to today's $2.60, and it is uncertain that prices will level off any time soon, much less decline.

These realities prompt us to ask, does commuting by driving a personal vehicle up to five days a week provide us the best combination of cost, or time use, or life-style? Or should we seek a better solution?

Gasoline savings: compelling reason?

Many workers, including me, have opted to leave our vehicles safe at home and brave public transportation. Each of us has our own reasons. Now the price of gasoline gives us one more, and we find it fairly compelling.

In my own case, I live about 17 miles from work. My 1992 Mitsubishi gets about 24 mpg, which means that if I drove it to and from work, I would be spending about $17.70 a week just for the gas. Instead, I buy a monthly Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) pass and pay only $10.00 a week. By riding DART, I cut my transportation costs nearly in half! If I had to pay for parking, as many of you do, I would save even more.

Other reasons count for more

But wait, there's more! In fact, saving on gasoline is not the primary reason I decided to "go public" several years ago. I used to drive the congested freeways of Dallas to get to work; during rush hours it would take me 30 to 45 minutes. I had so many close calls--so many split-second swerves and jamming of the brakes--that I began to think that it was inevitable that I would be involved in an accident of some kind, maybe even a life-threatening one. Do you ever feel that oppressive sense of impending doom?

Now, I drive two miles to the DART station in my suburb and ride the light rail. I usually get off at the Pearl Street Station and take a good, 15-minute, fast walk from one end of downtown Dallas to the other, a distance of about a mile. There I catch a bus that takes me to within one block of my office, where I arrive almost exactly one hour after boarding the train. In the afternoon, I reverse the route, often walking up to half a mile before boarding the downtown-bound bus.

When I have the time and inclination, I walk farther. I disembark from the train at City Place, climb the two extremely long escalators from the train station 160-feet below the surface, and walk all the way to the office, three miles to the west. At the rate I climb, I step up 42 times on the lower escalator and about 57 on the upper one. Then it's another 42 steps up to the surface exit. Most of my hike to work is on Katy Trail, which skirts a string of parks along Turtle Creek. Katy Trail was recently extended to reach the American Airlines Center, which connects me to HI-Line, Turtle Creek Blvd., and the office. This fall, a walking trail is being constructed that will lead from Katy Trail right past my building along Turtle Creek.

The exercise I get regularly, enforced by being integrated into my commute routine, is my main reason for "going public." But almost as important is all of that ride time I get on the train and the bus. I can read at least 30 minutes each way. Do you have the opportunity for an hour of reading five days a week? I cannot begin to list all of the books I have read on my commute, but it is a long list.

What others say

Do other employees share my preference for public transportation? Melissa, a Chicago customer service representative does.

She says, "I take the train (the el green line) to work every day. I work a split shift, noon to 8 p.m. I live in Oak Park, Illinois (the first western suburb), eight miles from the office. From door to door it takes 20 minutes. During my commute I enjoy reading, people watching, and defusing if it was a hard day."

"The best thing about taking the train is the convenience of not having to worry about parking. [I avoid] the congestion of traffic, and with the high pay of gasoline, it is very cost efficient. And I am always guaranteed some exercise every day with the walk to and from the train. The worst thing about commuting is that sometimes the trains run late."

With commuter trains, light rail, subway, buses, and van pooling, Chicago seems to have one of the best public transportation systems in the country. But other cities are rapidly catching up. Detroit, however, lacks a light rail system, beyond its "PeopleMover" that makes a tight loop in downtown. According to an article The Detroit News ran on July 7, 2005, "The region is the largest in the nation without a comprehensive subway, commuter rail or high-speed bus network." Officials there, however, promise that this will change in years to come.

"Our public transportation system is terrible," says Nancy, a Detroit human resources assistant, "and we don't have a rapid transit system in the Metro Detroit area. I wish we did, but I guess this is the Motor City; they want to make sure we all buy cars."

Mark, a Detroit customer service rep, agrees. "There is no viable public transportation system in Detroit. We make cars." Eddy is a manager who lives about 17 miles from his work just out of downtown Dallas. He says, "I think we should all ride public transportation at least once in a while to remind us how fortunate we are. That being said, I support anyone