Commuting by car is really, really expensive -- to the worker (in fuel, time, and stress), to the polity (in road maintenance, traffic collisions, etc.), and to the environment as well.
Most of the costs are borne directly by the worker without compensation. Although a worker is required to commute to work, commute time is not considered part of an hourly worker's working hours, nor is it considered a tax-deductible business travel expense.