‘I travel 6 hours every day’: Man working in Mumbai says commute leaves time only to sleep, wakes up at 5am

A Mumbai employee has shared the toll of a six-hour daily commute between Badlapur and Goregaon, saying the demanding routine leaves little time outside work and travel.

The Maharashtra-based employee detailed the schedule in a Reddit post, saying they wake up at 5am, leave home around 6.30am and begin their journey from Badlapur station at 7.15am. They then travel to Dadar, switch to a Western line train and continue to Goregaon before waiting in a shared-rickshaw queue for around 30 minutes.

According to the employee, the routine means reaching the office at about 10am and returning home only around 11pm.

‘I am tired of this travelling’

"I travel for 6 hours everyday from Badlapur to Goregaon," the employee wrote on Reddit.

Describing the daily schedule, they said, "I am tired of this travelling. I wake up at 5 am, leave home around 6:30 am, board the local train from Badlapur station at 7:15 am, reach Dadar board train for the Western line, reach Goregaon station and from there stand in share rickshaw queue for 30 mins everyday and then finally reach office. I reach office around 10."

The employee said the return journey begins at around 7pm after work and ends in Badlapur at about 11pm.

"I leave office around 7 pm and reach home in Badlapur by 11 pm. This is my daily routine for everyday only on Sundays I have holiday," they wrote.

They added, "Imagine spending 6 hours in travelling everyday. I come to home only to sleep at night."

Salary limits options to move closer to work

The employee said relocating closer to Goregaon was difficult because of the cost of accommodation.

"I tried looking for pg nearby office but most of them expensive and cheaper ones are very unhygienic. I can't afford to rent a place there as my salary is only rs 35,000 monthly," they said.

The post therefore described a situation in which the employee continues the long commute because nearby accommodation is either too expensive or, in cheaper cases, considered unsuitable.

Reddit users suggest hostels, job switch

The post prompted users to offer possible ways to reduce the commuting burden.

One person suggested using inexpensive hostels or dormitories for a few nights each month instead of taking a permanent rental. "Just a random idea, look for hostels, dorms, cheaper ones like 500 700 per night, you can book them twice a week, 10 times in a month, out of 25 days, you can travel to Badlapur maybe like 14 days, more balanced daily routine with less rent," the user wrote.

Another described the commute bluntly: "Brother, this is not travel. This is just TORTURE."

A third user said they had travelled on the same route 15 years ago before moving to Dombivli and eventually changing jobs. They suggested looking for the cheapest available PG accommodation along the Western line.

Another commenter advised the employee to consider changing jobs, calling the routine "a horrible way to live life" and suggesting taking leave to prepare for interviews.

The employee responded that there are very few opportunities available in their field.

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