And you had to leave your office or depot to go elsewhere it was impossible for your employer to check up on you until you actually arrived!
Back in the 1960s I was a junior library assistant and from time to time someone had to go on relief to another branch library because a staff member was off sick. There were branch libraries all over Liverpool - over 30 of them. In theory you could be asked to go to any one. I nearly always volunteered because it was a chance to travel around the city at my employer's expense. In dry fine weather it could be quite a pleasant experience but I often volunteered in bad weather as well.
First I would ask for directions (even if I knew exactly where I was going) so there was ten or fifteen minutes spent while the librarian in charge got out maps and bus timetables. But once I had fetched my coat and bag I felt like an explorer. Regardless of where I was going the journey seldom took less than an hour! I made sure of that.
That was because I did errands of my own on the way - any shopping i needed, visiting the bank to get my salary, or just going for a coffee or a snack. Once when it was lunch time I went to a Chinese and had a complete meal. I never went to a pub because I was afraid someone would detect alcohol on my breath, but you can be sure i took my sweet time. Sometimes I just sat in the bus shelter and let two or three buses go by.
It was all time away from work and broke up the working day just fine,
If anyone commented on how long I had taken when I did arrive I would say "Oh I dont know this part of the city and I got lost" or "The driver put me off too early and I had to wait for another bus". Of course there was no practical way to check up on how long someone had taken on public transport if they claimed to have missed the bus or gone the wrong way!
In a few years I knew Liverpool like the back of my hand, and was quite an expert on the bus routes. But of course I never admitted this to my co-workers.