Think your commute is tough? For extreme commuters, 90 minutes is quick

0 Comments | USA TODAY, November, 2004 | by Debbie Howlett and Paul Overberg

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. -- The hard-and-fast rule on Martz Trailways Bus No. 101: no talking.

Almost as soon as the bus lurches from the station at 5:05 a.m., the 42 bleary-eyed commuters slouch into their seats and squeeze as many z's as they can on the two-hour ride into New York City. The only sounds are soft snores.

"The sun isn't even up," says Sandra Foster, 42, who's been making the 85-mile trip into Manhattan for nearly a year to her job as an information-technology recruiter. "The last thing anyone wants to do is chat ."

Foster is one of 3.4 million Americans who endure a daily "extreme commute" of 90 minutes or more each way to work. They're among the fastest-growing segment of commuters, according to a Census study, Journey to Work , released in March....