prathmann

I'd certainly interpret a question on having one's own transportation on a job application form to be asking whether one can get to and from the work site with reasonable reliability. So having a reliable bicycle and being willing to ride the necessary distance under almost all weather conditions (i.e. at least when most cars could get through) would be sufficient to answer 'Yes' with complete honesty.

If a job requires the use of a particular type of vehicle as part of the business then they should be asking much more specific questions, esp. since some types of motor vehicles might not qualify either - motorcycles, small sports cars, etc. And in that case the prospective employer should indicate how much and what type of personal vehicle use is likely to be required as part of the job.

As to a nanny taking kids to the hospital it seems to me this would fall into two categories. If it is or could be a real emergency then calling 911 and letting the EMTs handle it would be the proper course of action regardless of the higher cost if the child's guardian doesn't have good insurance. OTOH, if it's not that time critical then calling for a taxi (or the parents) should be ok while continuing to monitor the child to see if the condition is getting worse. Either of these would let the baby sitter/nanny concentrate on the condition of the child and be caring for him/her the whole time until getting to medical help. Much better than trying to deal with traffic concerns while also checking on a child whose condition might get worse at any time.

Ekdog

The point I'm trying to make is that it's the car culture itself that is a danger for kids, not car-free parents as some would have us believe. Lowering the speed limits and increasing driver liability are steps in the right direction, but ultimately we need to give children options for moving about safely. Those who oppose improvements in mass transit and physically separated bike lanes should rethink their positions if they're really concerned about "family values" and childrens' safety.

cycleobsidian

charbucks

Wow, now I understand this "drive to the hospital bit" a bit more.

I was with kmv2: why would I ever drive to someone to the hospital in a true emergency? In Canada, I have seen ambulances called for broken arms - you can do a lot of damage moving a person if you don't know how to handle them properly. The only time I would drive to the emergency room is if it was something like an ear infection that needs to be treated soon, but it's not really that critical (and you'll be waiting in emerg for a few hours anyway - the downside of affordable health care).

The fee for "medical transport" in BC is $75. My Mum was seriously injured a few years back, and was taken first to our local rural hospital (3 km, $75), and then flown via helicopter to the hospital in Victoria (50 km, $75). They did send the bill including what the price would be for non-Canadians, and the ambulance was still less than $600 (I think it was around $200). The helicopter was in the thousands.

Commodus

Holy crap!

That must make for some tough mental math while you're lying there bleeding.

Newspaperguy

I would stay far away from this answer. The job interview is a place for an applicant to show his or her suitability for the job. It is not a place for a debate or discourse on transportation philosophy. Anything which diverts the interview from a focus on one's suitability for the job should be avoided.

An employer who pushes on the car question with the emphasis on car ownership rather than having a reliable way to get to work probably won't be swayed by any car-free answer, no matter how well reasoned it may be.

If the employer seems genuinely interested in hiring a candidate but has some reservations about the choice of transportation, it may be appropriate to bring up one's record of punctuality, if it is good enough to be used as an asset.

kmv2

lol

the main reason why I'd never move there.

Seems like everyone has a story like this.

kmv2

Also no offense, but this seems to be a common topic for nostalgic throughout the past 3 years..
example:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...r-free-persons
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ded-a-job!-BUT
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ob-application
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...Transportation

Why the same questions over and over for the past 3 years?

I-Like-To-Bike

Maybe he is still looking for a job while waiting for an answer he (or his potential employers) likes, or he is nostalgic about the topic.

charbucks

That is a good point... nostalgic, any comments?

I have to admit, I've never heard of this being asked in an interview. I wonder if it's a more common question in certain types of jobs than in others? Most of my friends are engineers, the majority working in oil and gas, and while they might be required to drive a work vehicle, nobody cares how they get to work. Many of my fellow grad students are recent immigrants, and they manage to get jobs before they even get certified to drive in this country. For a job where you're working in one place most of the day, I would think it's a non-issue.

Ekdog

It costs €0.00 here, which is as it should be.

Smallwheels

If I were speaking to a potential boss at an interview and I didn't like him I would be more likely to argue with him. By that point I would have already decided not to work there so it wouldn't matter if I won or lost an argument. I think I would say to him, "I'll be happy to buy a used car for this job if you pay me $5000 more per year, because that is how much I'll have to spend because you want me to own one."

An alternative would be to say, "So you want me to spend at least $5000 per year of my income to drive a car to work to earn only $18,000 per year?" Of course the higher the income the less of an impact this would have. The lower the income the greater impact this argument would have too.

Newspaperguy

That potential boss may have other friends with the power to hire you. They may get together later and if you have made an impression, whether good or bad, it could be discussed.

Roody

Lets put it this way. If you were applying for an executive level job at McDonald, paying six figures, they wouldn't care if you had a car or not. If you're applying for a part time entry level job, paying $100 a week, they're going to insist that you have that "reliable vehicle." Just one more way to stick it to the poor people.

gerv 

And just keep in mind that the $600 was paid by my medical insurance. If I was paying out of pocket, the bill would probably be much more.

gerv 

That sounds about right and the funny thing is that many, many people haven't done the math on this. Otherwise you'd walk into a McDonald's and be forced to flip your own burger.

I-Like-To-Bike

What great job did your interviewing skill/attitude get you?

I-Like-To-Bike

You sure of that?

Roody

Yes, absolutely positive.

Jared.

That's the main reason? Really? It's not all lollipops and rainbows up there either.

In the US, my sister received ACL surgery in less that 6 weeks through workers comp insurance. In Ontario my mother-in-law had to wait for over a year and a half for knee replacement surgery.

My brother-in-law received shoulder surgery in the US within 3 weeks of an injury. Years previous he was told the wait time for an MRI for his shoulder was over six months (in Ontario).

My wife cannot currently find a doctor (in Toronto, Canada's largest city) because no one is taking new patients, and it took 3 visits to a clinic and one to an emergency room for a diagnosis for a condition that would have been diagnosed within one visit in the US.

I recently received my permanent residence in Canada, and I don't receive any provincial health care coverage for 90 days, even though I will be working well before then. In the US my wife was covered even when she had no status.

The list could go on. There are problems with each system. Everyone is always so quick to state how much better the Canadian health care system is, but it's not always only about cost.

I-Like-To-Bike

OK, if you say so.

Do you happen to know of any car-free McDonald executives in U.S.? I can imagine the guys at the top may have access to company provided cars or company provided limo service.

Jared.

My last post was on the derailment of the original post.
To the OP, you are correct, they are not asking if you own a bicycle, they are asking if you have your own transportation. What is the question here? Are you unsure of how to answer that question?
When I was 100% car free I answered it with a "yes". When I owned a car I answered it with a "yes". When I took the bus I still answered it with a "yes".
What exactly is there to "handle"?

Roody

My point exactly. Give cars to the rich guy, and force the poor ones to buy cars they don't need and can't afford, just so they can work in your crummy store.

Roody

I would answer yes if I had to crawl there on my reliable hands and knees. I have no problem with lying to somebody who is only trying to degrade and humiliate me.

I-Like-To-Bike

Do you mean McDonalds forces their employees to buy cars before these poor fellows can work in the store? I didn't know that.