Babysitter Doesn't Drive

I have always provided transportation to my sitters, but they have always been teenagers. I or my husband picks them up and drops them home after.

Unless she's a minor, it's up to her to get herself from Point A to Point B.

No. IMO its just like any other job that the employee is responsible to getting to and from work on their own this falls into that its her job to make sure she has a ride there (taxi bus bike walking) its her job

I wouldn't give her cab fare. You would not give her gas money to get to and from your house either.

Keep in mind, since she does not drive she is not paying for car insurance, a car, gas and maintenance.

I think you pay the sitter the agreed upon rate. If she needs more because of transporation, she should discuss that before agreeing to a rate. I can also see paying a little more time (such as an extra half hour each way).

If she takes the job, then she decides how to commute. She could also get a friend to drop her off, etc.

If she is unable to get to your house on time, that is more of a problem than the transportation itself. If someone could not be on time, I would be unlikely to use her very often.

I also think that transportation is her responsibility. She's an adult. If you want to have this particular person babysit then you help her with ttransportation in whatever way works for you. It doesn't matter what others do or have done. Your situation is unusual. Ordinarily the adult babysitter is responsible for their own transportation.

It does sound like she hasn't asked for help but instead you're questioning her choices. Probably because she's been late. Being on time is also her responsibility. Tardiness would cause me to wonder about her reliability. She knew her limitations and didn't discuss them with you. Whether or not I came to her rescue would depend on how much I wanted her to babysit. Based only on what you've written in this post, I'd look for a sitter who can be on time. Why didn't she take traffic into consideration when arranging for the taxi? Taking a taxi is her choice and is not the problem.

I noticed you live in a 'big city' and taxi might be a normal way to get around. She sounds new and therefore you are not attached to her. I would find a new sitter. When it comes to baby-sitting, being on time is very important to me.
edit: i just noticed she is a teacher of your child. You decide if it is worth the extra effort (driving or paying cab fare) to keep her. I would try to find one who drives, yet I know the right sitter is better than a driving sitter.

Here is what is common in my area.

1. Houses that are far away (suburbs) from typical babysitters (college campus) offer to pay for gas money. So if the regular hourly rate is $15 an hour then add on $5 for gas. So 3 hours would equal $50. I now have moved closer to babysitter and do not offer the gas.
2. Some people offer more hourly if they live out of the way. I would not recommend this since it will be difficult to go down in price (it is better to start lower than have room to raise if the sitter is wonderful).
3. I do not agree with picking up and dropping off the sitter. If I have a date night and want to have a glass or 2 of wine I do not want to worry about driving a sitter home. I could choose to take a cab to and from a party with my husband and not have to worry about driving.

I have a friend whose husband drives cab part time, and she and her kids often get dropped off in the cab. Is it possible that it is a family member giving her a lift in their cab? It is up to her to get to and from work, and she is welcome to turn down the job if transportation is costing her too much. As a teen I babysat often, and it was up to me or my parents to get myself home. As an adult transportation has always been up to me.

Driving a babysitter home when it is late at night is a nice thing to do, assuming that there is another adult in the house to watch the kids while you drive her home. It is not required.

Good point Sadie. The last time I hired a sitter it was so I could go out to a wine tasting. I was in no condition to drive a sitter home!

The only time I ever drove a sitter is when I had a local teen sitter. It seems like someone in their 20's should be able to figure out how to get to/from their job. I walked and took the bus to school and work until I was 19, when I finally got a car. I never asked or expected any of my employers to come pick me up or drive me home, and that includes a family I nannied for one summer, and I had a 40 minute bus ride twice a day!

I'm sorry you decided to hire someone who you have to see all the time at daycare! Will be awkward if you have to fire her.

It is her responsibility to be on time to work. Work at daycare, work as a sitter for you...she needs to be on time.

As for payment, I figure that if she wants to raise her rates to cover cab fare she will do so.

Since you did not make arrangements for transportation when you contracted her services, it's not your responsibility to pay for it.

However, if it's only a few miles away, I don't understand why don't offer to give her a ride on occasion. I understand late at night when the kids are sleeping you wouldn't wake them or leave them home alone. However, after the birthday party, or to pick her up before the birthday party would be a possibility.

Also, regardless of age, if she's not responsible enough to arrive on time, or can't properly estimate the time to travel to your home (especially after a few times), you may want to consider if this is the right choice for a babysitter.

The problem is not that she takes a taxi/bus or rides her bike.
The problem is... she is OFTEN late, in coming to her job.
ie: to your house to babysit.

Supplementing a Babysitter's existing pay, with "transportation" money, is not mandatory.
And she did not ask you to pay for it.
She is an adult.
But she gets to work, LATE. Often.
And she also has another job, working at your kids' Daycare. So she is probably late going there too. They don't pay her for her taxi fare I am sure.

It is her choice, if she chooses to take a Taxi to go both ways.

If you pay for her transportation, then that is up to you.
And if she is using most of her babysitting pay, to pay for a Taxi/bus or whatever, that is up to her.

You "buried the lead," leaving the key information until the very last. She is an adult, not a teen, and should be responsible for her own transportation AND she should be on time when she commits to sitting for you.

I had to wonder: Would you really be questioning what to do if she were just a sitter you had found through a friend or a sitter board online? Isn't it likely that the fact she's a teacher .at your kids' day care is making you cut her slack that you would not cut for any other adult babysitter who was late and who didn't account for traffic, etc.? I think it's probable that you feel like you can't just say bluntly, "Get here on time next time or we're not using you again" because you and your kids have to encounter her at day care, and seeing her there will seem awkward if you've "fired" her as a sitter or told her off for being late.

You may have inadvertently made things harder on yourself by hiring someone you and/or your kids will run into at school. That makes it harder for you to treat her like you would treat any employee. I would not call her to sit again and to be fair to her, I'd tell her that you looked at your priorities and you need a sitter who is more local.

You mention that she is "one of" the sitters, plural, that you use, so you have others to call on. I just would not want to be doing private business with someone who was also a teacher at my kids' daycare or preschool. Too much potential for some awkward situations.

Her transportation is up to her. If she chooses to have a rocket drop her off in your yard, that's her call. She just needs to be on time. If she doesn't bring it to you as a problem, don't go borrowing worries.

Our sitter usually is dropped off by her mom, and we take her home at the end of the evening. But she lives pretty close to us. Other sitters we've used, we have always picked them up and dropped off afterwards. Either person paying for a taxi seems crazy to me.

I remember my parents always picking up and dropping off sitters. That's crazy to expect them to use a cab. If you want a sitter that drives, ask that question before you hire them. Otherwise I think it's part of your job to make sure the sitter gets to and from your home safely.

ETA: I just saw that you added she is an adult and a teacher at your kid's daycare. Don't you think that really changes the responses you will get? I see why there was confusion...you left out details for us and probably for her as well.

I would simply only call her every now and then and eventually stop using her. She should be on time regardless of how she gets there. Evidently she hasn't learned yet to be early.

She may be the nicest kindest person in your kiddo's life but she makes herself a burden on you by not being able to manage her own transportation. I would not feel obligated to pay her way to and from your home.

why can't you drive her home at the end of the night? I am assuming it is a teenager. If its an adult then how she comes and goes is not your business. but if it is a teenager then I would pick her up and drop her off. That's what a lot of the parents did for us. And what we did for our sitters.

I've been reading some of these answers and I have to tell you I have a different mindset when it comes to sitters. Yes, I guess it is "a job", but really you're paying someone to stand in for you so you can get a break from YOUR job. How much is that worth to you? I know for us, we are willing to overpay to increase the likelihood our sitters will say yes when we ask them. We have also been known to drive sitters home after an evening out or to the train station. I'll stay home and my husband takes the sitter to drop her off. To us, this is well worth the price of admission. We have an arsenal of sitters to call on and can generally get out when we want. To others, it may not be worth the extra hassle or money. Only you can make that call.