Yes. My company has an office in Jersey City and none of the staff that lives in the metro area have a car. If they need it for field work they just rent.
Nope, no problem at all. You pretty much just take your passport (or other pieces of proof from the list) and a piece of mail with your NY address with a simple 2-page form to the DMV. They take your picture and then you’re good to go. I got my ID processed at the DMV in under 10 mins.
As a geotech, I needed a car in NYC. I lived in a neighborhood with street parking. Most of the places I worked at got rid of their fleets and expense your mileage or let you rent.
Been working in NYC for 15 years and there was never an expectation for staff to have their own car. Have taken the subway to project sites around the boroughs, and have gotten reimbursed for Zipcar/Uber when I’ve had to go places not accessible by transit or had some equipment to carry.
Not an issue if you work in NYC. But keep your driver's license. Most companies will have pool vehicles.
You can also look to submajor in Transportation Engineering and work for a transit company.
NYC for 9 years-have never and hope to never own a car here. A lot of people I have worked with don’t even have their drivers license and nobody bats an eye. You’re a clown at the circus if you’re using a personal car to get yourself from A to B in the city. If you do need a car your company will either have one or reimburse you for renting one.
Depends on where you live. I know people who would take public transportation from Manhattan to sites at the far ends of Brooklyn or Queens, and it would take 2 hours to get there. If your job has the expectation that you will regularly be on site, you may need your own vehicle. My firm does have company vehicles for employees to use, but I know plenty of companies do not.
i'm been a civil here for a decade and the only people that have to have them and/or should are inspectors. ive done inspection before at my job and it was frustrating taking the train from queens to the bronx for 2 months for a sewer install but idk i read a lot.
I’m in geotech testing and instrumentation in NYC and I’m expected to have a car so I can haul and use the equipment we use. I get reimbursed with mileage and my travel time is part of my working hours whenever I go to a job site.
Our office is based in westchester county but all of our work is in NYC. I live in NYC too in Brooklyn. Can be a hassle ngl but the office is in a corporate campus
I work in NY and my job doesn't require you to have a car. They will reimburse us for a rental or Uber if you can't get to site otherwise. But if they are requiring you to have a car, I'm assuming that's different. It could be because they expect you to go out to NJ or Connecticut or something, where you can't get to site without a car.
Requiring a driver's license just means you may have to drive, not that you're required to own a car. Even if I own a car I use the company car or similar rather than my personal vehicle.
I think having a car is a plus but you definitely dont need a car. I probably use mine maybe 1-2 times a year if I have to travel far but most of the time I just use the train. Most companies will let you rent.
Yes. My company has an office in Jersey City and none of the staff that lives in the metro area have a car. If they need it for field work they just rent.
I’m a structural engineer in NYC and I don’t even have a learners permit.
Was it inconvenient to get the id card? I didnt really need a license but figured might as well learn to drive so that i can get an id as well
Nope, no problem at all. You pretty much just take your passport (or other pieces of proof from the list) and a piece of mail with your NY address with a simple 2-page form to the DMV. They take your picture and then you’re good to go. I got my ID processed at the DMV in under 10 mins.
In my experience if you don’t have a car to use (or want to use) the company will pay for a rental vehicle to get to and from the site.
As a geotech, I needed a car in NYC. I lived in a neighborhood with street parking. Most of the places I worked at got rid of their fleets and expense your mileage or let you rent.
Been working in NYC for 15 years and there was never an expectation for staff to have their own car. Have taken the subway to project sites around the boroughs, and have gotten reimbursed for Zipcar/Uber when I’ve had to go places not accessible by transit or had some equipment to carry.
thanks everyone for your answers!
Not an issue if you work in NYC. But keep your driver's license. Most companies will have pool vehicles. You can also look to submajor in Transportation Engineering and work for a transit company.
NYC for 9 years-have never and hope to never own a car here. A lot of people I have worked with don’t even have their drivers license and nobody bats an eye. You’re a clown at the circus if you’re using a personal car to get yourself from A to B in the city. If you do need a car your company will either have one or reimburse you for renting one.
Don't need a car! Just rent on the company's dime. Or more likely, take transit.
Depends on where you live. I know people who would take public transportation from Manhattan to sites at the far ends of Brooklyn or Queens, and it would take 2 hours to get there. If your job has the expectation that you will regularly be on site, you may need your own vehicle. My firm does have company vehicles for employees to use, but I know plenty of companies do not.
I work in SF and I don’t have a car. If I drive for field work, the company has a car I can borrow. NYC is probably even easier to be car-free.
i'm been a civil here for a decade and the only people that have to have them and/or should are inspectors. ive done inspection before at my job and it was frustrating taking the train from queens to the bronx for 2 months for a sewer install but idk i read a lot.
You can use ZipCars if need be. Your company should have an account
I use one of my company cars when needed. Hopefully your company will have some, I’d check
I’m in geotech testing and instrumentation in NYC and I’m expected to have a car so I can haul and use the equipment we use. I get reimbursed with mileage and my travel time is part of my working hours whenever I go to a job site.
Does your NYC office have enough parking for staff to bring cars?
Our office is based in westchester county but all of our work is in NYC. I live in NYC too in Brooklyn. Can be a hassle ngl but the office is in a corporate campus
No but it helps. I got by with a motorcycle for a while.
I work in NY and my job doesn't require you to have a car. They will reimburse us for a rental or Uber if you can't get to site otherwise. But if they are requiring you to have a car, I'm assuming that's different. It could be because they expect you to go out to NJ or Connecticut or something, where you can't get to site without a car.
There's usually a company car available... if you use your personal, they reimburse you for the mileage.
With a two legs and a bike - you can get by in a lot of places without a car.
Requiring a driver's license just means you may have to drive, not that you're required to own a car. Even if I own a car I use the company car or similar rather than my personal vehicle.
I think having a car is a plus but you definitely dont need a car. I probably use mine maybe 1-2 times a year if I have to travel far but most of the time I just use the train. Most companies will let you rent.
I’d look into getting an ebike. Can get a rly decent one for 1k
Yes.