While catching up on local news and reading The Seattle Times earlier this week, I was drawn to an article by Gene Balk that touched on some surprising stats regarding transportation in Seattle. More specifically, public transportation. One stat that took me by surprise is that Seattle is one of six large metro areas across the U.S. where those with higher wages utilize public transportation more than those with lower wages. In addition, Seattle is one of the few areas that has experienced an increase in public transportation usage in recent years with more than 200,000 people regularly taking public transit in our area. Despite the stigma that often accompanies taking the bus to work, more and more people are choosing to let someone else take the wheel during their commute. Why? Outside of reducing our carbon footprint and minimizing our commuting costs, what is the allure of public transportation?

 

If you choose public transportation for your commute, you can:

  1. Check your texts/email: Taking public transportation allows you the ability to legally check your texts and emails during your commute. As we all know, using a mobile device behind the wheel can easily end in an accident, so if catching up on communications before arriving at work is important to you, public transportation may be the safest way to do so. Just think of how seamlessly you will be able to start the workday with all of the texts and emails that you received overnight read and responded to by the time you walk into the office in the morning.
  2. Get organized: Allowing someone else to take the wheel during your commute allows you time to review your schedule, set your personal and professional goals for the day, note any meetings or deadlines that are approaching, and set yourself up for a successful workday. Using this time to get organized will give you a greater sense of control over your day and ultimately help you reach your goals.
  3. Drink your coffee and relax: How many times throughout the day are you free to sit back with a cup of coffee an relax? Throughout a typical workday, there are very few times (if any) that there are no expectations for how you should be using your time. Take advantage of this break and listen to music, read a book, or mindlessly scroll through your social media accounts – all without wasting company time.
  4. Improve your physical and mental health: Although walking or biking to work every day would be ideal for both your physical and mental health, taking public transportation can be a good alternative. Don’t believe me? Just think about what taking public transportation could do for your blood pressure during rush-hour, and how many more steps you could track by walking to and from a bus stop instead of a parking lot or garage. And if you are really wanting to fit some more exercise into your daily routine, you could even get off of the bus a block or two before your stop.

Yes, the financial benefits to taking public transportation are attractive as is reducing the impact that our commute has on the environment; however, those are not the only benefits. Consider what you could accomplish during your commute if you decided to take the bus or light rail…