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If you ever see this woman on the train, offer her your seat. In their ongoing Extreme Commuter series, amNewYork follows Tameeka Henry's 2 to 5 day/week travels from Brooklyn to Dix Hills, Long Island. The 21-year-old student attends Five Towns College there, and while it's only about 30-something miles from her Brooklyn home, it takes about four hours each way. Four hours. Maybe that 3.9 GPA can be partially attributed to all of that forced study time. She "takes a dollar van, a city bus, the subway, two Long Island Rail Road trains and a Suffolk County bus to get to and from school. Sometimes she catches a ride to classes, but either way, she still has to leave her house at 6:45 a.m. to get to school on time." What's all that cost? $26. Luckily, she graduates in May. [via NYMag]
The $26 Commute
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It's the same media that NEVER mentioned Muslims' hatred of Israel as a possible motive for 9/11.
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I'm pretty sure at $26 a commute, it's cheaper to get a car.
She would have been better off riding a bike(atleast in the months where it's above 45 degrees...) 30 miles would take even the laziest person less then 4 hours...
Except that it's 60 miles roundtrip, which is the distance of some pro bike races. The average person doesn't have the stamina to do that every day, especially when juggling a pile of textbooks.
she could have bought an electric bike. it would get her to school in under 2.5 hours, and it would have payed for itself in less than a semester!
Bravo to her! I admire those who must make this kind of effort just to get a college degree. As if a college degree was even worth anything anymore. Good luck out there.
that's right, a beater bike would work in the city
but I don't know about riding it out in LI.
I think, not only she gets a seat, but the entire car,
she does the reverse commute, no?
8 hours commuting per day?
i'd rather be stupid
that's the thing though. Smart people would be like 3-8 hour commute? 26 dollars! Hell No! If she were actually really educated she wouldn't be doing this. After she gets her diploma she'll look back on it and be "damn, I was dumb!"
Five Towns isn't exactly Harvard (or even Fordham). Zing!
instead of commuting for 8 hours a day wouldn't it be smarter to get an apt in queens or something? Look under rooms/shared on craigslist, spend $650 a month and those 8 hours you'd spend commuting working part time. No?
According to the article her monthly commuting cost is just under $300 and she has a scholarship to cover it. On top of that she seems to have a couple of internships around the city so would have to commute anyway.
No matter what, good on her for being so tenacious. With this sort of dedication I have a feeling she'll do well post graduation.
A better illustration of the route than the one Google Maps provides:
http://www.hopstop.com/?action=route&route_id=399edeb9w5a280ha
But actually that doesn't seem to be what she's doing. Maybe she should try it.
How much could a basement apartment or room in a boarding house near the campus possibly cost? I love those who live the die-hard, car-free lifestyle but 4 hours for $26 both ways, mmmmmm girlfrieeeeeeend...?
Much of the Tri-State area has no bus service in walking distance. Many towns don't have sidewalks many heavily traveled roads. So you get a car and pay for insurance and gas etc., which can be expensive.
The commuter rail tickets are very expensive, even with monthly passes, so if you have a car it might appear cheaper to drive into the city and pay tolls than to take Long Island Railroad or Metro-North.
The railroads should cost a flat fare to go anywhere on the system, and a flat fare on a monthly pass that also lets you go everywhere on Metro-North and The Long Island Railroad. Then many of the struggling downtown suburban retail areas can be helped and put people back to work. It would be a better deal for employers because they could hire smart hard working New Yorkers and New Jerseyists who could now afford to take jobs in the suburbs that employers may have trouble finding competent affordable employees.
Agreed. With LIRR and Metro North soon to be together in Grand Central I'd like to see the tickets interchangeability. Meaning I could buy a Metro North ticket and I will be able to used it again on the LIRR (say within 24 hours) within the same zone based on miles.
Flat Fare for the entire system???
On the LIRR you can travel many stations within zones (8 Fare Zones) for a flat fare. Charging a flat fare for the entire system is completely unfair though, you would have those who live closer to Penn Station pay more and those who live way out east pay less. How is that fair? Why should someone who leaves from Port Jefferson (60 miles to Penn) pay the same amount as a commuter who leaves from Great Neck (15 miles).
The reason why it takes reverse commuters so long on teh LIRR is because the system is at capacity. The East River Tunnels make it impossible to handle any more rush hr trains. The Main line only has 2 tracks which are both used for Penn Station bound trains (LIRR needs to build the 3rd track). Even if you add more reverse rush hr trains it wouldn't matter, many of the Business Parks and Industrial Zones are not within walking distance of the nearest LIRR Station. Prime example is Nassau County's Hub (Uniondale, East Garden City), the area includes Nassau Coliseum, Nassau CC, Hofstra U, Roosevelt Field and The Source Malls and LI's largest Office Complex. Other examples are Melville/ Farmingdale along rt 110, Bethpage, Hauppauge and Ronkonkoma. Areas within walking distance of LIRR stations are under utilized. The Hicksville station (most used station east of Jamaica) is surrounded by parking and empty lots.
We need more young people with the commitment that this young woman has.
Something tells me she is not learning a lot in school if she is doing what she is doing.
I take the subway and LIRR to work in a client's office on Long Island two or three days a week. A much simpler and shorter trip, but the point is that while I could drive I'd rather not. I'm not traveling during rush hour so there's always a seat, and I can use the time to read or use my laptop. Being in school, she probably also has plenty to do to spend that time constructively.
A long commute doesn't have to mean time wasted.
Um
Fact check please
The LIRR from Flatbush to Wyandanch Station‎ takes less than an hour
3 hours for subway and buses doesn't add up
probably kicking herself now that Obama is going to incentivize the uneducated.
The government already does that. Only the poor and the rich can afford college today.
Canarsie isn't that big...how does she need a dollar van AND a bus to get to the subway? I'm assuming the rest of the trip goes something like L train to Atlantic Ave, transfer to LIRR to Jamaica.
Most Suffolk buses don't run more frequently than every 30 minutes. It's likely she has a significant wait when she makes that last transfer.
bus service in the burbs sucks. they leave you off in the middle of a highway intersection, service is spotty and you'll wear out a pair of shoes in no time. don't let those maps fool you, it's going to be quite a hike to get to that office park. and then you're going to do more walking because those parking lots are huge.
fcuking stupid spending $600 a month on a commute when you can get an off campus room for the same price and spend the rest of the time in the library. Why do all these students want to be come martyrs?
Also kind of stupid to comment without reading. She spends $290 per month, not $600.
$290, yes. But the opportunity cost of 4 fuckin' hours on a train/subway/LIRR/bus/dollar van add up.
Wow...i have to admit. Some of you on here are amazing. As if we don't hear or read enough bad news. I would think most people would have a bunch of positive responses to this type of determination. But I guess the Euros are right. Our country is a pretty pessimistic, cold society. To think people like this young lady used to applauded for her efforts. Oh well i guess they should stick with people who scam the system or a story like that.
Hey, she should investigate the idea of carpooling through Craigslist or something, for at least one leg of her trip. There are lots of people out there who probably go her route at some point, and even probably some who would take her for free.
Determination is good, but being clever and plugging into a world of people willing to help is also good. Hell, when I was a student living on nothing, people lent me their bathrooms (because I didn't have one in my garret), and one cafe waitress lent me her bicycle, for unlimited use ("till you don't need it anymore"), simply out of generosity and friendliness. I've done the same (in the same spirit), whenever I could.
"she should investigate the idea of carpooling through Craigslist or something, for at least one leg of her trip. There are lots of people out there who probably go her route at some point"
The article mentions that she does sometimes get rides from people. Having had her story appear in the paper might make that easier as more people are aware of her trip.
Maintaining a 4 hour commute is unnecessary and self-inflicted. There are many other options... not the least of which being putting that $200-$500 per month toward a car payment? Maybe a more convenient campus? What the fuck is wrong with her? This is not determination, it's stupidity.
I admire her tenacity. I hope she finds a really good job when she graduates.