Work from home? Change hours? How to combat high gas prices and a job - News 12 Connecticut

Summary

Work from home? Change hours? How to combat high gas prices and a job

Gas prices are not slowing down the rush hour commute -- a sign that fewer employees are working from home.

Work from home? Change hours? How to combat high gas prices and a job

Gas prices are not slowing down the rush hour commute -- a sign that fewer employees are working from home.

The number of New Jersey residents heading into the city is up, says Caleb Silver from Investopedia.

"Bridge and tunnel traffic in and out of the city is pretty strong, it's almost all the way back to pre-pandemic levels,” says Silver. “It's up 1.7% last month. That said these high gas prices are causing folks to think twice about filling up."

It has some commuters trying to figure out cost effective commutes – both for the short term and down the road.

"Everything is going up faster than the paycheck goes up,” says Paul Kelleher.

People are doing what they can to save on their commute, as many are ditching cars for public transportation.

"Taking the train has been a good thing,” says Jennifer Roche.

For Louis Nespoli, it's the bus for now. He's been working on Wall Street for more than 30 years.

"Going back to work, it's taking a little adjustment,” says Nespoli.

After working from home for two years, he's back in the office on a hybrid schedule. He uses the Park & Ride in Howell, where commuters pay either $3 a day or $105 a quarter to hop on a NJ Transit bus -- that's cheaper than paying for the gas, tolls and parking fees to drive into the city.

Here is the thing. You need to make going to work, work for you, experts say.

Some suggest asking your boss to work from home, even if it is a couple of days a week, until gas prices come down. Or ask to work 10-hour shifts four days a week -- that saves you one day on the roads. Or ask to change work hours to off-peak times so you aren't sitting in traffic.

Or look at bigger, long term changes -- move closer to work or find a new job closer to home. Some commuters say they are already doing whatever they can to save on their commute, such as cutting other things like eating out or going on vacations.

"Thankfully I live near the beach so I don't have to travel as far to relax," says David Wolfson.