Super commuters are having a resurgence. Here’s what it’s like to actually travel 90 minutes to work.
The number of super commuters in the Philly region increased by about 23.4% from 2021 to 2022, a significant increase but still below pre-pandemic numbers.
Savannah Roberts gets up hours before she’s on the clock — and spends the majority of some mornings commuting. Twice a week, after waking up at 4:45 a.m. and getting dressed, she begins her 3.5-hour trek from Philadelphia to New York.
“In the morning, it’s really about mentally getting myself right for the long day ahead,” said Roberts, a publicist for a creative marketing and communications agency.
Roberts begins with an Uber ride to the intercity bus stop on Spring Garden Street. From there, she usually takes a Peter Pan bus to New York, catching up on sleep and doing her makeup before she arrives at Port Authority Bus Terminal, the world’s busiest bus terminal. Then, she takes the subway to Soho and walks up to 10 minutes to finally arrive at work.
Once her work day ends, the journey is repeated.
“It’s a very long day,” Roberts said of getting home between 8 and 10 p.m. “I am just so exhausted that I really want to get home as soon as I can.”
Roberts commutes about seven hours round-trip every Wednesday and Thursday, making her a member of a group known as super commuters.
The U.S. Census Bureau defines super commuters as those who spend 90 minutes or more going to or from work.
The number of super commuters nationwide peaked in 2019, when 4.6 million people spent 90-plus minutes commuting, but COVID-19 severely limited the number.
But super commuting may be back in business.
How many people are super commuters?
The number of super commuters in 2022 grew by 600,000, bringing the total to 3.7 million, according to an Apartment List report based on the most recent census data. That was the single largest jump since the census began tracking super commuters, the report found, citing pandemic-spurred suburbanization brought on by remote and hybrid work models.
This is a 23.3% increase in super commuters from the previous year, which was larger than the national increase of 19.3%.
Still, the Philly area hasn’t reached the pre-COVID-19 number of 89,206 super commuters in the region.
What is it like being a super commuter in and around Philadelphia?
Some of Philly’s super commuters work more locally than Roberts, such as Rebecca Rose, who travels from South Philly to Wyndmoor in Montgomery County working as an office manager for a staging company.
Rose commutes for about two hours on SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill East Regional Rail line and buses.
What’s also different for Rose is that she leaves about 3:45 p.m. and works on her commute home. Rose’s commute consists of checking email, communicating with clients, and appreciating both the space the commute provides her and the flexibility of her bosses, who allow her to leave the warehouse before her shift officially ends.
“I definitely am the type to romanticize the train,” Rose said. “I love, like, looking out the window, seeing the skyline approach in the distance.”
Another super commuter who admires their route is Laura Pauls-Thomas, a communications director at a nonprofit. Pauls-Thomas, of Lancaster County, commutes to an office in the city of Lancaster via bike, bus, or a combination (about 90 minutes), or to an office in Philadelphia via public transportation (about 110 minutes). They note the Lancaster commute is the favorite because of the green scenery.
“[I see] baby cows with fluffy hair at a farm along my route, as well as baby goats,” Pauls-Thomas said. “I’ll holler to them, sometimes it’ll stop to watch them. It’s delightful.”
Once at the bus stop, about 35 to 40 minutes into the commute, Pauls-Thomas begins working, creating and posting to social media. Productivity is significantly higher after biking, as opposed to being stuck behind the wheel of a car.
On the way home, Pauls-Thomas has recently spent time creating digital illustrations of everyday life — including the patterns on the bus seats — and brainstorming project ideas.
“Commuting by bike and by bus creates important mental space you don’t quite get when you are driving from point A to B,” Pauls-Thomas said.
Super commuters also shared problems and anxieties of long commutes. Rose and Pauls-Thomas described safety fears, saying that cars were prioritized over buses and bikes.
Pauls-Thomas said they sometimes have low blood sugar and will sit on the side of the road and eat a snack before resuming the bike ride. There aren’t many places to do this safely, according to Pauls-Thomas.
Roberts pointed out the tiresome journey impacting how she lives on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as she misses out on opportunities to go to happy hours with coworkers and tries to sleep as soon as she returns home.
Despite the qualms of being super commuters, all three said trekking long distances to work was worth it. Each noted that unplugging from the outlets of a technological world became possible due to returning to in-person work.
In a week that would feel tedious and repetitive without being able to work in person, Roberts said, the long commutes break up the days and offer one-on-one connections she doesn’t get working from her South Philly apartment.
“It is nice to just have those days where I’m like, ‘OK, I’m gonna get dressed today and get to see people and interact with them face to face,’” Roberts said. “I don’t really like having the same day, every single day. It’s like Groundhog Day, if you’re working from home five days a week.”
The “long and immersive” commute enabled Pauls-Thomas to engage different communities.
“I’m surrounded by other community members, and the smells, sounds, sights, sensations, and everything you get when you spend time and really enjoy the ride — to connect with others, ponder with other commuters, it can be very beneficial for our lives and our well-being,” they said.