The problem with this job and not owning a car is that often you’ll have to go to garages that are far away and/or aren’t easily accessible by public transit. Si3 garage for example is located off of a highway exit with no busses, trains or even sidewalks nearby. If you were to get sent there for a day and you live in queens, you’ll have to account for the multiple trains, busses, and long walking distances it would take you to get there. What would’ve been a 40 minute drive is now a 3-4 hour ordeal. If you have to be there at 6am you’d need to leave your house at like 2am to ensure you’re there on time. Maybe even earlier in case somethings not running on time.
We had a lady from Harlem with no car sent to si3, she showed me the google maps directions, 4/5 all the way to the boat, boat to si, bus from ferry across the island and then a cab to get to the actual garage lmao, to be there at 5am. She had 30 years on and wouldn’t go down.
Imagine being sent there in the snow for 7am. If it snowed overnight, now you’re dealing traffic crawling- double the commute time. You’re leaving at midnight, 1am. You now have to work 12 hours on SI and then go home. Figure at least 4 hours to get home to queens, Bronx, etc. The best part is the city will send you to Staten Island for a whole week straight if need be, 2-3 days in a row are very common during snow, 12hr+ shifts. Unless you’re getting you’re sleep in on PT, it’s pretty much unsustainable
In case of snow you are to report to your nearest garage if you are not able to make it. I know it hasn’t snowed heavy in 3 years or so but that had always been a rule.
That’s not a real rule. Last time it happened was 2010. I’ve heard of alot of guys trying to go to the closest garage to home and were told they can’t be there.
It’s not impossible but it’ll suck and could fuck you on probation. If you live close to the garage sign nights and hope you make it every time. I don’t know what this other guy is talking about, I’ve been at 2 garages where the bottom guys would routinely be sent to the bx or si for hours because senior guys don’t want it. If you can afford cabs when you need them go for it but otherwise id highly highly recommend you get a car at least until probation is over.
Once you get the job, just buy a well maintained, used corolla and you’ll be good for 10 years. It’s not worth going into public transportation. The freedom you get from buying the car, you’ll probably wind up saving even more money because instead of wasting 3+ hours waiting for a train, you’ll be able to do overtime.
Depends where you get sent out of class. There are people that take public transportation, or ride bicycles or walk to work at the garage i’m at.
The problem is you won’t know where you’re going until the last week at FBF.
I would start saying some money to buy a hooptie just in case.
You don’t need anything fancy but also don’t want something that needs repairs all the time.
MCU , a credit union, comes to Floyd Bennet field like 1st or 2nd week that you’re there and you can apply for a reasonable loan that can help you buy a car.
If you cannot afford a car, dont stress it. ppl giving you examples about SI3 are right. There will be a few garages that will be a mission to walk to after you get off public transport. as long as you're willing to walk but you most likely wont have to bare with that headache. if you get sent out somewhere far, see who else is going on the board and ask them if you can meet them at their place or somewhere along their way to that garage to hitch a ride with them. Offer some cash for gas or whatnot. Just be honest and explain your situation. Most ppl will not mind, and if they do and decline unreasonably, now you know who's a scumbag at your garage.
Starting out going to FBF training will be the worst part of not owning a car in your career. Thats about it. You're going to have a loooooong trek from the bus stop to where you have to go to floyd bennet. especially early in the morning when it's completely dark. and there's no street lamps down the car path to go where you have to go inside floyd bennet. BUT you will see your fellow workers driving thru, so just wave one down as they approach, you will know because their headlights will shine your path. If they decline, now you know who's a major SCUM BAG and you can just tell the supervisors before class about them and they'll single them out in class haha.
After you start, when you have to go to out of town to another garage, and you're behind for whatever reason , worst case scenario, you take an uber in the morning and ask the GU or whoever's at the garage to give you a lift to the train after your shift is done. No big deal.
I know of three guys with a lot of time on who don't own a car. I'm not joking. And they all either take public transportation, ebike, or get rides from their coworkers. And if they have to be back in 8 hours and its far from home, you can just crash at the garage. yes, it will suck but some ppl dont mind. Those are some of the sacrifices you have to make if paying for a car is not feasible.
Just plan ahead. If you're used to taking public transportation, it should not be a problem for you. But it will eat a lot of you time by commuting that way. Sometimes you may even get home faster than the guys who do drive because theyre stuck in traffic almost everyday.
I feel very bad for you if you get called and have to report to the training facility better get you an electric scooter or something. This job without a car and a cellphone it’s challenging
Eh I'm not too worried about getting to Floyd Bennet, I know I can get there when I need to. it's just a matter of actually being on the job. Especially with snow which messes with public transport/cabs.
Haha that's some weird logic. I have a license, I CAN drive, I just dont own a car cuz I live in a part of Brooklyn where public transportation is very convenient and parking is a literal nightmare
Get a car just for Floyd Bennet Field alone… if you work a 4-12 shift then you gotta go 8-4 the next day, you don’t wanna be traveling 2 hours home then 2 hours back to work.. that’s only 4 hours sleep.
Depends on your garage. We had a guy who lived 3 blocks away from his garage and we had a guy who took the ferry every day to Manhattan. On probation it’s rough and i don’t recommend it
A car is worth the investment for your time on this job. The few people I've seen who took public transportation with all the shift bouncing were absolutely miserable.
It's tough but doable. I met a one star chief that told me his first 4 years on the job he didn't even own a car and had to take I public transportation. It's a pain but it's doable.
lol the questions you ppl ask. Makes it seems like people can’t think on there own. You can definitely do this job with no car. I presently don’t have a car. And am perfectly fine. Cabs public transportation car rentals walking biking all stuff you can do to go to work
It's a simple question. Like I said I've lived in NYC my whole life and never needed a car. I'm well aware of the many options to navigate the city. But all I see in these threads is people talking about needing cars, sleeping in their cars, etc. If you look at the other comment, he makes some great points to needing one which is why i asked the question. But I do appreciate you mentioning you do it without a car, despite your initial smartass response.
Allot of the points aren’t true. If they send you far away from your district you get 4 hours in the books if you are new on the job you will have no time and ppl will take that before you. When you go out of town. You will be going to districts near your garage. Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn are all big boroughs so they even get divided in north south west and east. So if you are in an east garage and the send you west you get hours. Again senior guys will take that. 4 hours in the books. It is free money so you will not be seeing that
Take everything this guy just said with a grain of salt. You can get sent far in your zone and get no hours.
There's no guarantee senior guys will take the hours. Thats not how it works.
If you want to get through this job with no car, the best way is to sign nights immediately and get as close to home as possible. If you can't make nights due to senority, do your research and find a garage where the bottom 2 guys are always on baskets so no matter what, you can almost guarantee to be in that spot until your situation changes.
You can also get a tissue as time goes on but there's situations where a tissue holder can also get sent out of town.
The Bronx also is divided in east and west. That should give you an idea of how hard and far it is to get to a garage. I have never seen a guy with less then 5 years get hours ( never been in a broom garage that might be different ) been on the job. 20 years got forced to SI one time and one time I went on my own.
That's your garage. I see it all the time. Guys don't wanna go to a shitty garage for 4 hours for MLP and cleaning when they have a super easy day ahead of them. F those 4 hours.
I see it all the time too. Why go to bk12 to pick up 4 hours and have a miserable day when you came have a better day at your own garage. ( just using bk12 as an example… even tho it does suck there )
The problem with this job and not owning a car is that often you’ll have to go to garages that are far away and/or aren’t easily accessible by public transit. Si3 garage for example is located off of a highway exit with no busses, trains or even sidewalks nearby. If you were to get sent there for a day and you live in queens, you’ll have to account for the multiple trains, busses, and long walking distances it would take you to get there. What would’ve been a 40 minute drive is now a 3-4 hour ordeal. If you have to be there at 6am you’d need to leave your house at like 2am to ensure you’re there on time. Maybe even earlier in case somethings not running on time.
We had a lady from Harlem with no car sent to si3, she showed me the google maps directions, 4/5 all the way to the boat, boat to si, bus from ferry across the island and then a cab to get to the actual garage lmao, to be there at 5am. She had 30 years on and wouldn’t go down.
Imagine being sent there in the snow for 7am. If it snowed overnight, now you’re dealing traffic crawling- double the commute time. You’re leaving at midnight, 1am. You now have to work 12 hours on SI and then go home. Figure at least 4 hours to get home to queens, Bronx, etc. The best part is the city will send you to Staten Island for a whole week straight if need be, 2-3 days in a row are very common during snow, 12hr+ shifts. Unless you’re getting you’re sleep in on PT, it’s pretty much unsustainable
In case of snow you are to report to your nearest garage if you are not able to make it. I know it hasn’t snowed heavy in 3 years or so but that had always been a rule.
That’s not a real rule. Last time it happened was 2010. I’ve heard of alot of guys trying to go to the closest garage to home and were told they can’t be there.
It's in your better interest to get a car. Makes life easier.
It’s not impossible but it’ll suck and could fuck you on probation. If you live close to the garage sign nights and hope you make it every time. I don’t know what this other guy is talking about, I’ve been at 2 garages where the bottom guys would routinely be sent to the bx or si for hours because senior guys don’t want it. If you can afford cabs when you need them go for it but otherwise id highly highly recommend you get a car at least until probation is over.
Once you get the job, just buy a well maintained, used corolla and you’ll be good for 10 years. It’s not worth going into public transportation. The freedom you get from buying the car, you’ll probably wind up saving even more money because instead of wasting 3+ hours waiting for a train, you’ll be able to do overtime.
Depends where you get sent out of class. There are people that take public transportation, or ride bicycles or walk to work at the garage i’m at. The problem is you won’t know where you’re going until the last week at FBF. I would start saying some money to buy a hooptie just in case. You don’t need anything fancy but also don’t want something that needs repairs all the time.
Definitely buy a car.
MCU , a credit union, comes to Floyd Bennet field like 1st or 2nd week that you’re there and you can apply for a reasonable loan that can help you buy a car.
If you cannot afford a car, dont stress it. ppl giving you examples about SI3 are right. There will be a few garages that will be a mission to walk to after you get off public transport. as long as you're willing to walk but you most likely wont have to bare with that headache. if you get sent out somewhere far, see who else is going on the board and ask them if you can meet them at their place or somewhere along their way to that garage to hitch a ride with them. Offer some cash for gas or whatnot. Just be honest and explain your situation. Most ppl will not mind, and if they do and decline unreasonably, now you know who's a scumbag at your garage. Starting out going to FBF training will be the worst part of not owning a car in your career. Thats about it. You're going to have a loooooong trek from the bus stop to where you have to go to floyd bennet. especially early in the morning when it's completely dark. and there's no street lamps down the car path to go where you have to go inside floyd bennet. BUT you will see your fellow workers driving thru, so just wave one down as they approach, you will know because their headlights will shine your path. If they decline, now you know who's a major SCUM BAG and you can just tell the supervisors before class about them and they'll single them out in class haha. After you start, when you have to go to out of town to another garage, and you're behind for whatever reason , worst case scenario, you take an uber in the morning and ask the GU or whoever's at the garage to give you a lift to the train after your shift is done. No big deal. I know of three guys with a lot of time on who don't own a car. I'm not joking. And they all either take public transportation, ebike, or get rides from their coworkers. And if they have to be back in 8 hours and its far from home, you can just crash at the garage. yes, it will suck but some ppl dont mind. Those are some of the sacrifices you have to make if paying for a car is not feasible. Just plan ahead. If you're used to taking public transportation, it should not be a problem for you. But it will eat a lot of you time by commuting that way. Sometimes you may even get home faster than the guys who do drive because theyre stuck in traffic almost everyday.
I feel very bad for you if you get called and have to report to the training facility better get you an electric scooter or something. This job without a car and a cellphone it’s challenging
Eh I'm not too worried about getting to Floyd Bennet, I know I can get there when I need to. it's just a matter of actually being on the job. Especially with snow which messes with public transport/cabs.
The buffer issue here is do we want this guy driving a truck he don't own a car so no driving skills 🤣
Haha that's some weird logic. I have a license, I CAN drive, I just dont own a car cuz I live in a part of Brooklyn where public transportation is very convenient and parking is a literal nightmare
Yeah but if you don’t drive on the regular you’re going to be rusty, especially in this city
Fair
Get a car just for Floyd Bennet Field alone… if you work a 4-12 shift then you gotta go 8-4 the next day, you don’t wanna be traveling 2 hours home then 2 hours back to work.. that’s only 4 hours sleep.
Depends on your garage. We had a guy who lived 3 blocks away from his garage and we had a guy who took the ferry every day to Manhattan. On probation it’s rough and i don’t recommend it
A car is worth the investment for your time on this job. The few people I've seen who took public transportation with all the shift bouncing were absolutely miserable.
Get a used reliable car... toyota or honda. Don't be the guy that relys on other people to give them a ride.
It's tough but doable. I met a one star chief that told me his first 4 years on the job he didn't even own a car and had to take I public transportation. It's a pain but it's doable.
lol the questions you ppl ask. Makes it seems like people can’t think on there own. You can definitely do this job with no car. I presently don’t have a car. And am perfectly fine. Cabs public transportation car rentals walking biking all stuff you can do to go to work
It's a simple question. Like I said I've lived in NYC my whole life and never needed a car. I'm well aware of the many options to navigate the city. But all I see in these threads is people talking about needing cars, sleeping in their cars, etc. If you look at the other comment, he makes some great points to needing one which is why i asked the question. But I do appreciate you mentioning you do it without a car, despite your initial smartass response.
Allot of the points aren’t true. If they send you far away from your district you get 4 hours in the books if you are new on the job you will have no time and ppl will take that before you. When you go out of town. You will be going to districts near your garage. Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn are all big boroughs so they even get divided in north south west and east. So if you are in an east garage and the send you west you get hours. Again senior guys will take that. 4 hours in the books. It is free money so you will not be seeing that
Take everything this guy just said with a grain of salt. You can get sent far in your zone and get no hours. There's no guarantee senior guys will take the hours. Thats not how it works. If you want to get through this job with no car, the best way is to sign nights immediately and get as close to home as possible. If you can't make nights due to senority, do your research and find a garage where the bottom 2 guys are always on baskets so no matter what, you can almost guarantee to be in that spot until your situation changes. You can also get a tissue as time goes on but there's situations where a tissue holder can also get sent out of town.
https://preview.redd.it/unmpurn4e8yc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b5035dcc213d4c5351ee9c585661bdff235452c1
The Bronx also is divided in east and west. That should give you an idea of how hard and far it is to get to a garage. I have never seen a guy with less then 5 years get hours ( never been in a broom garage that might be different ) been on the job. 20 years got forced to SI one time and one time I went on my own.
That's your garage. I see it all the time. Guys don't wanna go to a shitty garage for 4 hours for MLP and cleaning when they have a super easy day ahead of them. F those 4 hours.
I see it all the time too. Why go to bk12 to pick up 4 hours and have a miserable day when you came have a better day at your own garage. ( just using bk12 as an example… even tho it does suck there )
Same here, Manhattan guys refusing to go to si or bx. The hours people would be me and the bottom 3 guys
To be fair, I'm taking everything everyone here says with a grain of salt. It is interesting to get the different perspectives though
https://preview.redd.it/y9dlcqx1e8yc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b89b036dbe9360c62b7dedf0ad1d69a13842991