From the inbox, a fascinating question:
I am writing if you could have a survey in your blog for a list of pharma/biotech companies in the US that's accessible by public transit and/or those that offer company shuttle service. This would be very helpful to jobseekers who do not own a car or don't drive at all. I understand that most companies are in remote areas, but there might still be transit-friendly out there whether small, mid or big pharma anywhere in the US.
Of the major pharma hubs, it seems to me that Boston is the one that is most likely to fit our correspondent's desires. I wouldn't know much about Boston transit, but I know that Derek Lowe (used to?) writes his blog on his train ride into the city.
I've driven around South San Francisco a bit, but I don't know if it's safe to bike around there, and I don't know what it would be like to take mass transit there either. Sorrento Valley in San Diego has the Coaster (it's been a number of years), but I think you could make it work, especially if you had a bike. I imagine that the other major hubs (New Jersey, RTP, Chicago, etc) are mostly car-bound.
Readers, what do you think?
While I've not been to thaaaaat much of Cambridge/Boston these last two years *cough covid cough*stay away from me!* every little town in Boston is at least generally accessible by bus and/or train, and many take the train from out of town into Boston then switch to bus for the second-third of their journey (followed by a bit of a walk). The total cost is low and one may have some travel benefits from the company. Nevertheless, cars are far more convenient and common, and potentially a very good investment considering the time spent traveling otherwise.
ReplyDeleteFor example, a trip from Cambridgeport to Newton for a visit to Mettler Toledo to do 2 pipette calibrations took 1.5h by bus and feet early in the morning. The serviceman whom I had liaised with felt so bad ("just for two pipettes?!") he decided to drive me to the nearest T-station so that I could take the train back to work at MIT.
The problem being that the last leg of your trip after getting to your rural little town could literally take out your legs. If you happen to work in the heart of central Cambridge/Boston then you would pay much more in rent. It generally evens out if you consider all the resources you expend, money, time, willpower...
I work at Regeneron in Westchester, just north of NYC. It's really in the middle of nowhere, but they do a good job of having shuttles from the major train stations (Tarrytown and White Plains) for commuters. Takes a lot longer to commute to here by train as opposed to car, but several of my colleagues did it for years. Most companies certainly want to help making it easier to get to work if they can, especially if they are outside the major hubs.
ReplyDeleteDK how useful Coaster is for commuting in Sorrento Valley in general (though I recall 1 person who used to use it). Cycling to SV was pretty good, especially from east or north.
ReplyDeleteI live in Dorchester (South of Boston) and work around the Seaport. Driving is expensive and a pain. The T gets you there easily, also commute heavily by bike (~5 miles one way) year round. It all just takes time, and as a user above points out, desire of space and cost.
ReplyDeleteCompanies in South San Francisco (SSF) are more or less within a 3-mile radius, with the big companies (Genentech, Merck, Janssen, Verily) concentrating around Grand Ave / Oyster Point. Genentech has company shuttles and ferry that go all over the Bay Area (SF, East Bay, South Bay, etc.). However, there are also many small biotechs not in SSF. Public transit is not great in the Bay Area, but IMHO probably better than NJ/PA. A lot of people also bike to work and the culture in the Bay Area is very accepting of that. I don't know how it compares to the greater Boston area as I've never lived there.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in your assessment that you are car-bound in the RTP area. While it's possible to commute via public transit (bus only), the infrastructure is pretty poor and a mess of different systems. There was a project in the works to connect Chapel Hill/Durham/RTP/Raleigh via light rail that had a lot of promise, but planning costs kept ballooning & politics were a mess. The project eventually got killed last year >$150m later without a single piece of track being laid.
ReplyDeleteI think it is easy to get to Merck Rahway via NJ Transit
ReplyDeleteI believe most of the pharma companies in Philadelphia are near transit, and the big ones in the suburbs provide shuttles to rail stations
ReplyDeleteFor my 20 years in Boston I have routinely taken public transport. My current place (started last week before work from home) is a little more out of the way. They have an Uber shuttle policy from several major train stations/main squares. When I worked in this area of the city before, it was my first job so train, subway then walk! Now when I need to go in I drive as the traffic is so (relatively) light. As others have said, it really depends on where you want to live. Some of the suburbs are not conducive to trains and who knows how long it will be until the transit schedule rebounds.
ReplyDeleteSeveral colleagues here in San Diego don't have cars and get to work via train, bus, bike or Uber (pre covid). The work commute is definitely doable but generally accessing different parts of the city is more difficult without a car. The train system is currently being expanded though which should offer some improvement.
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