Man Walks 21 Miles To Work Roundtrip; 'It's Not That Bad, I Like Hiking;' $200,000 Donation Collected To Buy Him A Car
James Robertson is 56 and he walks to work every day - a 21 mile-commute to and fro from his factory job in Detroit. He had a car but it broke down a year ago, and he can't afford to buy another car. He can take the bus part of the way, but some of the routes have no connecting buses for him to get to work on time. So he decided to walk to work every day.
"Robertson lives in Detroit and for the past 10 years has been walking and taking the bus part of the way to work. His job at Schain Mold & Engineering's factory pays $10.55 an hour, but he hasn't made enough money to save for a car since it broke down year ago," bet.com reported.
Mr Todd Wilson, Robertson's Boss at the mouldering factory where he works, noticed his punctuality and attendance record and said Robertson sets the standard for the rest of company employees.
The story of Robertson is all about perseverance and about getting to work in snow and rain. It has inspired people to collect $48,000 for him to buy a car. His walk to work means he has to get up early so he can complete his commute and arrive at work on time; he only gets two hours of sleep.
Mr. Robertson's story about his 21-mile commute was published in the Detroit Free Press, which created a gofundme page to fund insurance costs and to buy him a car.
"Every trip is an ordeal of mental and physical toughness for this soft-spoken man with a perfect attendance record at work. And every day is a tribute to how much he cares about his job, his boss and his coworkers. Robertsons daunting walks and bus rides, in all kinds of weather, also reflect the challenges some metro Detroiters face in getting to work in a region of limited bus service, and where car ownership is priced beyond the reach of many," The Daily Press shared via Washington Post.
The charity collections have gone beyond the "gofundme" page with a local car dealer offering him a car and donations tagging at $200,000.
Mr. Robertson is still somber after the mass donations. He says the commute isn't as bad as it sounds because he enjoys hiking.
"No one can say I didnt pay my dues in life," Mr. Robertson summed up how he felt about his grueling commute, Metro.co.uk reports.
