Mazda says: WALK TO WORK!?

[Antoine]

TOKYO - Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corp. is recommending its employees walk to the office, rather than commute by car, as part of an effort to improve their health and protect the environment, a company spokesman said Friday.

Those meeting a set of requirements by going to the office on foot are eligible to receive 1,500 yen ($12) a month, Mazda spokesman Ken Haruki said.

Aimed at improving employees' health and to promote environment protection, Mazda introduced its "Eco-walk commutation allowance" on Thursday, Hakuki said.

Mazdanews

[Super Mario]

Thats awesome.

[Iggy]

isnt that alittle odd for a car company to say?

[ForceFed]

Thats awesome.Yeah that great..$12 a month....or about $3 a week or even better...5 day work week gets .60 a day....WHooPie!

[lasermp5]

maybe $12 a day...

[Super Mario]

You don't HAVE to do it, but its a nice thing to do. Keeps you healthy, helps the Earth a little bit, and you get a bonus $12 dollars. I mean, if you're close enough, why not?

Leave it up to the lazy fucking Americans to cry about walking!

[redrims]

You don't HAVE to do it, but its a nice thing to do. Keeps you healthy, helps the Earth a little bit, and you get a bonus $12 dollars. I mean, if you're close enough, why not?

Leave it up to the lazy fucking Americans to cry about walking!

Yes. We Americans are lazy, but with good reason lol...(drive)

In the spring/summer, I would have no problem. But during fall/winter, HELLS NO!! and for $12 dollars a month...HAHAHAHAHAHAH...thats a joke

[Super Mario]

You don't have to participate, so why even complain about it? The money shouldn't be the motivating value behind this idea...

[Mr. Win]

Exactly... shit id do it.

[spacemonkey]

Japanese corporate structures are very different. they really care about their employees. you cant blame them becasue most workers in japan work for 1 company for the rest of their lives.

Good story...sometimes I wish I can walk more. Like in NYC. Just have my backpack and my ipod. riding public transportation and hanging out in the city and stoping by places on the way. I prefer that then being stuck in traffic for 30-40 mintues everyday.

Its just everythign is too far apart here and the public transportation system sucks. Think of all the money you could save and how much weight you would loose.

[ChopstickHero]

in tokyo, i'm sure you can get somewhere faster using a combination of walking and public transportation rather than using a car. it's so congested there.

[yesiownaskyline]

or you can do what HK does. Place a 100% eco-unfriendly tax on all vehicles for purchase. Nothing like the choice of walking/taking public transport vs. paying twice as much as the car is worth for it.

==> takes the subway to work everyday.

[Super Mario]

Its just everythign is too far apart here and the public transportation system sucks.

You just described 95% of America.

[redrims]

You don't have to participate, so why even complain about it? The money shouldn't be the motivating value behind this idea...

Which is exactly why I think $12 is a joke. Just ask them to do it without adding the $12. They would probably get the same response without adding that.

[Mr. Win]

I dont know about you but 12 bucks is still 12 dollars more then you had and after a year youve got an extra 144 bucks for WALKING to work. Dont bitch.

[Enderwiggin9969]

im sorry but i must just be a lazy american then because 12 extra bucks a month is not worth walking to work to me. you get sweaty and tierd and i like in the freaking sticks so its 5 miles just to the gas station.

[yesiownaskyline]

You have to understand it's different over there too. Employees are SO dedicated to their jobs that this press release would pretty much GUARANTEE everyone walks from now on. Thre reason isn't about the money, but the public image of doing anything for the company among your peers... it sounds small, but some people will do anything just for that little bit of professional edge over some dude who drives...

[Antoine]

You have to understand it's different over there too. Employees are SO dedicated to their jobs that this press release would pretty much GUARANTEE everyone walks from now on. Thre reason isn't about the money, but the public image of doing anything for the company among your peers... it sounds small, but some people will do anything just for that little bit of professional edge over some dude who drives...

I can vouch for that...Peer/Group pressure in the Japanese workplace is IMMENSE!

[JOS3]

You don't have to participate, so why even complain about it? The money shouldn't be the motivating value behind this idea...

well the japanese dont live in the same "whats in it for me" society. i would do it because not only would they pay you for it, but think of the money you would save on gas, not to mention how stressful it is to sit in morning traffic wondering if the slow asshole in front of you is going to cause you to be late to work.

[Rainman]

My healthcare $0.02: this is a fantastic initiative. It takes balls for a car manufacturer to do this. The money is totally beside the point. It is simply a little bonus. Our infrastructure is NOT set up to allow many of us to do that here in North America, however, many of the issues raised about why we can't do it are exactly the reasons why we should be doing it.

Don't get me wrong, I drive to work like everyone else, but I often wish that I didn't have to.

R

[MyOrangeToy]

Its different in japan and here... I will take me like 2 hrs to walk to school

[Rainman]

Its different in japan and here... I will take me like 2 hrs to walk to school

Love the GTA, but that is one of the biggest reasons why it wouldn't be my first choice of places to work or live.

R

[SciFiMan]

You'd think GM would offer this, with their unions and very high health care costs.

[Roywhitep5]

most people take public transportation to work in japan already. train stations durring rush hour are trippy. i've never seen so many people walking in such an orderly fashion in my life

[iluvmacs]

2 points:

Walking to work get's you $12 per month. Then add the $350 you pay for your car if you don't own it. Add $30 per month for insurance, and $60 for gas. Subtract $70 for 2 pairs of shoes. That's ~$4500 per year.


Public transportation in the US is crap compared to europe and asia with the exception of NYC, which has it's problems. We have 7 lane highways in major cities and 1 rail line. Here in pittsburgh there isn't even a rail system. The bus system (which is just about bankrupt) is really hard to get to depending on where you are.

Most people live far from their jobs and when they travel they take a lot of crap. Someday, when gas gets too expensive (>$5 / gallon) we'll develop a better light rail system and an intercity transport like europe.

In the meantime we'll just complain about gas prices, slowly develop fuel cells so we can still drive cars when gas is too expensive, and spend millions on highway repair.

[romecandleboy]

Off topic a little bit....don't they also pay you and your spouse if you choose not to have children in Japan ..?

[anarchistchiken]

Sorta kinda off topic, but Portland Oregon has one of the best public transit systems I've ever seen. Seattles isn't bad either, but in the south, you might see a bus every couple hours, and that's only if you're paying attention. Trains are not even a thought.

[Rainman]

Here in Ottawa, I would say that we have a fairly decent bus system. About 75% of the bus routes are on closed roads (hefty, hefty fines if the transit police catch you driving on one of those brother) used only for transit purposes. Buses on major routes usually run every 10-15 min. Of course, the speed is slowed down somewhat by the 25% of the routes shared with the regular traffic, not to mention the closed road routes which have to enter public roads to pick up and drop off riders.

R

[eting_pro5]

Sorta kinda off topic, but Portland Oregon has one of the best public transit systems I've ever seen. Seattles isn't bad either, but in the south, you might see a bus every couple hours, and that's only if you're paying attention. Trains are not even a thought.


Yeah, Portland has like every imaginable form of transit there is!

<3 Portland <3

I wonder how this affects their healthcare costs?

If my employer told me I could get $12 for riding my bike to work (5 miles) I'd do it. Not for the money, but more because people wouldn't be idiots and say "You rode your bike to work?! That's stupid."

[redrims]

I dont know about you but 12 bucks is still 12 dollars more then you had and after a year youve got an extra 144 bucks for WALKING to work. Dont bitch.

Yeh, I'm bitching by saying they don't NEED to give me $12 to walk to work. :rolleyes:

Like you will actually notice you made an extra $144 in a year.