No, I have a 40 minute drive to a bus stop, and then 2 hours on the bus. The last parking space fills at 6:00 AM, exactly, so I have to be there before 6AM. I can't drag the whole family out of the house to leave at 5:15 AM, and I don't get home until 6:00 or so - exactly in the middle of the dinner prep time - so the drive to and from the bus is what it is.

As far as the Prius & the engineer.

I notice that all the people who provide "expert" opinions on hybrids don't own them, drive them or pay for them. I know people who have had hybrids from generation 1, and NOT ONE has told me it wasn't 100% worth it in terms of costs, maintenance and all the rest. Even with Battery replacement.

And, dare I say, there's more to the decision to buy a car than what I spend now - what will it cost my children in terms of what I leave of a messy earth for them. Mileage matters a lot to me, an so do emissions.