Jobs requiring “own, reliable transportation”

[Hilltopmom]

Dd, 18, is applying for daycare & school aide positions. She is finding they require “your own, reliable transportation” to even apply. She does not drive (no license yet and no extra car here anyways) but between myself and my parents she will always have a ride. We live rural but in town and there are cabs & Uber too plus a small town bus network.

Is this a new thing? Is it legal?

She does not need to drive at work for any of these jobs- they just want to be sure people will show up.

 

[katilac]

It's not new; I've seen it as far back as the 90's for sure. 

Just check yes. You driving her is her "own, reliable transportation." 

[Drama Llama]

I would check that box for me, and I take the train to work.  I know it means that I can't use transportation as an excuse, so if that means that I have a plan to get to work every day, and a back up plan.

I hire people who don't drive or don't own cars all the time.  We don't ask that question in our application, but it comes up in interviews.  I just want to hear that someone has a plan and back up plans. 

[SKL]

I'm guessing they've had people call off with the excuse that their ride failed them.

I don't know about the law, but I agree that it isn't new.  I can understand why, especially in child care where you can't legally be short-staffed.

[Hilltopmom]

23 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

I would check that box for me, and I take the train to work.  I know it means that I can't use transportation as an excuse, so if that means that I have a plan to get to work every day, and a back up plan.

I hire people who don't drive or don't own cars all the time.  We don't ask that question in our application, but it comes up in interviews.  I just want to hear that someone has a plan and back up plans. 

Ah ok I thought “own” meant owns own car and drives it herself

Edited January 6, 2021 by Hilltopmom

[Pawz4me]

It's nowhere near new.

I don't think it means you have to own the car, just have consistent access to it.

[Hilltopmom]

I’m a public school teacher and plenty of our staff does not drive to work because they share a car with an older child or spouse or carpool.

I had just not seen the transportation thing as a clause for employment before. I mean, you need a good job to be able to afford a car! Daycare staff get paid minimum wage- she’s not going to own a car off that job part time!!

[BusyMom5]

As an employer that means you will not be asking and depending on coworkers to pick you up.  You have your own reliable transportation to work- it can be a parent, partner, public transportation- its just her own way, her responsibility to find her way to work.  

[Clemsondana]

I think it's just asking if transportation issues will affect your ability to get to work and giving notice that it's not a valid excuse for being out.  A bike, a scooter, or even 'on foot' is reliable transportation if you live near where you work.  They don't care if you don't drive yourself, but if you're going to be out every time the person who drives you goes on vacation, gets sick, or has a sick kid then it's a problem for them.  If you ride with your neighbor and get an uber when they're unavailable, that should be fine.  

[Carrie12345]

I do think it depends on the job in question.  In this case, I’d consider it covered. But when there’s a listing for, say, a caseworker, they certainly do expect you to have YOUR own, reliable, personal vehicle and license to drive around the county at any hour and sometimes transport children. Very different circumstances.

[Amy in NH]

Depending on the daycare, they may want workers to drive children to appointments or lessons.

[Hilltopmom]

6 minutes ago, Amy in NH said:

Depending on the daycare, they may want workers to drive children to appointments or lessons.

Nope, not that kind of job. Public school setting, aftercare type thing. Or daycare center- no driving of children required or allowed.

Edited January 6, 2021 by Hilltopmom

[ktgrok]

4 hours ago, Clemsondana said:

I think it's just asking if transportation issues will affect your ability to get to work and giving notice that it's not a valid excuse for being out.  A bike, a scooter, or even 'on foot' is reliable transportation if you live near where you work.  They don't care if you don't drive yourself, but if you're going to be out every time the person who drives you goes on vacation, gets sick, or has a sick kid then it's a problem for them.  If you ride with your neighbor and get an uber when they're unavailable, that should be fine.  

This. It is a screening thing. If she knows she can gt to work, she can check yes. (where I lived the bus was VERY unreliable and didn't run some of the hours we needed people to work, so bus only wouldn't work)

[Carol in Cal.]

I have seen it particularly commonly in snowy areas.  People had to certify that they could still show up for work in icy road conditions.

I have to say, I used to work in a failure analysis lab with another engineer who would not buy a vehicle.  Once when we had a serious line down crisis on our hands, I made the unusual call that we had to work over the weekend.  He kindly but firmly refused—said that he could not get there because the Saturday bus service was less frequent than during the week.  This was incredibly unprofessional and annoying.  Someone in management got wind of it and ordered him to show up.  I was embarrassed for him in making that objection—it was so far outside of the corporate culture where we worked.  It was just how he was, though—kind of weird but with a skill that was unusual and let him get away with stuff like that most of the time.

[Shoeless]

Echoing everyone else. It's a way of weeding out people that will no-show or call in because they don't have a ride. We (briefly) had a veterinary receptionist who would call in when it rained because they didn't want to get wet while walking. They couldn't figure out another plan to get to work, so they were fired because "it's raining" is not a valid excuse to ditch work. 

We also had an assistant that would bike to work every day, (several miles!), and it was no problem because they never, ever, ever called out of work.  Mode of transportation is unimportant, just so long as the worker is there as scheduled.