Client site parking and travel time question

[SueEllen]

We had same at last ClientCo. We are ConsultCo and as such no spaces are allocated so we had to use the park and ride shuttle bus. Street parking possible but fraught with nerves due to weird parking times and pissed-off locals slashing tyres.

I've had to put up with the bin brigade and people shaking their fist at me but haven't had my tyres slashed.

And neither did I slash the tyres of the commuters who blocked my car in at home before the CPZ was introduced so I couldn't actually get out.

Though a neighbour and I had fun getting the guy removing the cars, vans and mini-bus to put them as far as way as possible when they were painting in the parking bays and yellow lines. I also had a quiet satisfaction seeing some parents and commuters getting lots of parking tickets after the zone was enforced.

[stek]

do they have visitors parking spaces, Park in one of them, as a representative of your company you are visiting a client site

Last place did - but they also had fierce parking people and the ability to crush cars, and I've seen some crushed cars in the stores!

We all know I just worked in Swansea so it's easy to work out where it was.

[Spacecadet]

I seriously wonder how many people here are in business on their own account.

Being in business on your own account means taking into consideration all the costs involved with supplying your services to the client.
If you do not consider your time as something which should be factored into that cost then that's your loss.

[malvolio]

Being in business on your own account means taking into consideration all the costs involved with supplying your services to the client.
If you do not consider your time as something which should be factored into that cost then that's your loss.

It is. And It's in my day rate (my commute is two hours, door-to-door and I walk the last mile and a half). And I sympathise with the OP's point, actually - if my day suddenly got an hour longer I wouldn't be best plased.

But the reality is that the client doesn't give a tuppenny damn about how you get to work or how long it takes. They think they only pay you while you're on site doing stuff. So getting a rate change mid-term for the OP's reasons ain't going to happen. It's a renewal negotation point

[TestMangler]

Hi all

Appreciate any advice and views on this.

I'm currently on assignment with a client that has on site parking for perm staff only. Although there is parking available, the client chooses to make parking for contractors available off site only.
There are no alternative parking sites available near client site, none that I could even choose to park at and pay for myself, as client site is not in business or retail area (location is a little isolated). Client site is also very poorly serviced by public transport. Client therefore lays on shuttle buses to 2 or 3 points to allow staff to connect to limited public transport. Majority of staff therefore drive and park.

Up until now, alternative parking site for contractors has resulted in extra travel time, but hasn't been too long so has been acceptable. Now client has given up lease on alternative parking site, and given contractors parking at a different alternative parking site, which is considerably further away. This adds an extra hour travel time every day to travel to and from this much further parking site. I will note again that there are no alternatives to parking near client, if there were, I would pay for parking to save the extra travel time. There is, however, parking on site, but the client refuses to make any spaces available to contractors.

What is your take on the extra travel time now being pushed onto contractors? This has been changed part way through contract when expectation on acceptance of contract was parking at closer site (and less travel time).

Is this in Copley by any chance ?

[eek]

It's a renewal negotation point

Unless you don't mind burning your bridges and can get a new contract quickly. In which case its a change in working conditions resulting in......

[The Agents View]

Learn to ride a motorbike.

Buy a scooter that fits in the boot of your car - park up, ride in - you can leave scooters and bikes pretty much anywhere.......

[blubell]

Thanks for all the replies and input. Interesting reading and views.

To clarify a few points that have been raised - there really aren't any options for parking closer to the client site. Parking at the client is very strictly controlled by access barriers and security, the site itself is very strictly controlled by security, not allowed to use visitors parking, no parking on site whatsoever permitted for contractors, not even a scooter/motorbike. This goes for all contractors / external suppliers. There is no street parking near the client site (all double yellows or residents permits), there are no paid parking facilities near the client site (well, none that are of shorter commute distance to what the client is now providing). And public transport is really very limited ie. catch a bus for 20 - 30 mins to nearest train station. As I said in my original post, for that reason majority of staff do drive and park. Client knows it, and provides parking as a result. The parking provided for contractors is a 30min shuttle bus journey (one way) not including any waits or traffic problems, so cycling or walking definitely would not be quicker (it is several miles away)

I do appreciate all the advice so far, but I really have looked into what possible alternatives there are. I try to mitigate where I can (lifts etc.), but I still inevitably end up parking at the new contractor parking site.

So, my question really is more about the client suddenly changing parking site for contractors, and forcing a lot of extra travel time onto all their contractors. I certainly agree that I don't charge for my time to get to the client, and I don't expect to charge for the time to get from my home to this new parking site. In this situation, the expectation was a different parking site, one that I was prepared to accept. Now the client is forcing me to use a different parking site, that adds considerably to my journey. It is also quite a way out of my way to get to the alternative parking, but I am not going to drag that into the equation too. My primary concern is with the additional shuttle journey that I have no choice to make, at the clients dictation, that is different to my expectation on acceptance of contract.

[blubell]

Is this in Copley by any chance ?

No (and I don't know where Copley is)

[blubell]

Unless you don't mind burning your bridges and can get a new contract quickly. In which case its a change in working conditions resulting in......

?
I haven't browsed these boards much, so am obviously missing something that is well known.