James Robertson, 56, has been hitting the road five days a week by foot and partly by bus for the past decade to make the 23 mile trip to Rochester Hills, Mich., the Detroit Free Press reported.
Robertson started hoofing it to work when his 1988 Honda Accord broke down and the soft-spoken man, who has a perfect attendance record, never complains.
“I set our attendance standard by this man,” said his boss, Todd Wilson, plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering. “I say, if this man can get here, walking all those miles through snow and rain, well I’ll tell you, I have people in Pontiac 10 minutes away and they say they can’t get here — bull!”
The hardy road warrior – who stays awake by drinking copious amounts of Coke and Mountain Dew – starts his shift by stopping at the office to chat about sports. Wilson treats his trusty worker to dinner every day – courtesy of his wife’s Southern cuisine.
“I sleep a lot on the weekend, yes I do,” Robertson said. “I can’t imagine not working.”
He earns $10.55 an hour, well above Michigan’s minimum wage of $8.15 an hour. But that’s still not enough to buy, maintain and insure a car in the Motor City.
His commute home is particularly daunting.
At the end of the injection molder’s 2-10 p.m. shift, Robertson embarks on the marathon trip in the dark. He can rarely catch a ride because none of his co-workers lives anywhere near him.
Instead, he walks 7 miles from the factory to a bus stop at a mall in Troy.
“I keep a rhythm in my head,” he said of his trek to the mall.
At the mall, he catches the last bus of the day, just before 1 a.m., and rides it to Detroit as far it goes. He then walks the rest of the way — about 5 miles — to the home he shares with his girlfriend.
Robertson said faith helps him get through the hardships.
“I’m not saying I’m a member of some church. But just before I get home, every night, I say, ‘Lord, keep me safe,’” he said.
The next day, he added, “I should’ve told you there’s another thing: determination.”
Robertson said he was unaware of the Job Access and Reverse Commute program, funded in part with federal dollars, that provides door-to-door transportation to low-income workers, albeit at a cost.
“We are very much trying to get James a vehicle,” said Wilson, the plant manager. “If I can get away, I’ll pick him up. But James won’t get in just anybody’s car. He likes his independence.”
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