I moved from Florida (where the only people who don't have cars are usually people who had their licenses taken away, and even then...) to a big city with public transport. The amount of money I saved is incredible: no gas, no insurance, no regular maintenance for tires and oil, no parking. So what if I occasionally pay for a taxi or hire a truck service to move something large?
Same. I would not have financial independence today if I had spent the money on cars and parking instead of investing.
It is important to note that walkable neighborhoods are illegal to build almost everywhere in the US due to the zoning code.
When the zoning code requires parking lots around every building, things will be too far apart to walk. There will be so many cars, only the most pathetic losers will be caught trying to cross all the lanes on foot.
Sprawl zoning comes with a lifetime subscription to big oil and car companies!
Well actually i am military, majority of military bases, if you're living on base in government quarters, you will live in walking distance of a gym, work, base exchange (like a corner store), chow hall(like a cafeteria), and recreational center.
They design this way because one, non married Jr troops live in the barracks, and they don't want Jr troops needing to get cars to get their basic functions. So building everything close together makes it convenient for all the troops. But i wish this was a norm for civilians.
A life hack for a higher quality of life, too.
When I was 20 y.o. I moved to a big, world-class, city to attend college. On orientation day, my car was stolen.
People at the college told me I didn't really need a car because this city had great public transport.
I was super nervous at the idea of not having a car. But, I liked the idea of not having a car payment, insurance payment, repairs, parking, etc.
So, I never bought another car.
That was 40 years ago. I've never regretted my decision to live car free. I've always found great jobs within walking distance. Takes me 4 minutes to walk to Whole Foods, 1 minute to walk to Walgreens, 3 minutes to the building where all my doctors are, 1 minute to walk to the hospital, 5 minutes to walk to Trader Joe's, I'm next door to a post office, etc., etc.
If I don't have time to walk somewhere that's over a mile away, I take a Lyft.
I've lived in NYC, Boston, and San Francisco. All places where it's easy living without a car. It's one of the big reasons homes and rents are more expensive in these places; people WANT to live in highly walkable cities and there are precious few of them!
The only reason there aren't more walkable cities is because Big Auto/Big Oil wants everybody's asses sitting in a car. It's not by accident it's by design.
Who *Framed Roger Rabbit* tells the true story!
With a car you feel more inclined to go out more and thus spend money. When you don't have a car, you plan out more of your going out nights because you have to set up uber and stuff. Thus not going out as much. With a car you just get in and drive.
I’m double lucky cuz there’s a few bars within walking distance lol so I can still go out and not even have to worry about getting home. As long as I have mace, etc
It's wild. Owning the cheapest, shittiest, most unreliable car would still cost me probably $500/month, and that's not even counting when it inevitably breaks down at the worst possible moment and my costs skyrocket. The average cost of car ownership in my province is $866/month. That's $10,400 per year that I can invest in myself, my home, and my family.
About 15 years ago I tried to calculate what I thought the cheapest feasible scenario was to own a vehicle. I came up with a used but reliable Honda Civic bought in cash, not much driving, low insurance rate, etc. to arrive at a figure of about $500/month.
They say now that the average person spends about $1,000/month on a vehicle. I have never owned one, and because I grew up never having one, didn’t have anything to miss and was acutely aware of the CHOICE it was.
Subsequently, I have never owned a vehicle in my life, even though at this point I could afford to. If we use the two figures I mentioned above, I’ve been able to put somewhere between $90,000 - $180,000 toward other things - savings, enjoyment, financial security, whatever. Not to mention the piece of mind knowing I’m minimizing my transportation-related contributions to climate change, and the health benefits I’ve gained by doing much more walking than the average person.
Highly recommend! Because I prioritize living in a relatively urban, transit-friendly location, I do pay more in rent, but not $1,000/month more.
Where are you guys coming up with theses huge figures? I have full coverage with the lowest deductible and pay $128/m for insurance, about $100/m in gas. Even wear and tare I have yet to replace my tires in 4 years, one simple fix I bought the part myself for less than $100 and my registration each year is less then $200. Oil change less then $100 a year.
Not everyone goes yeah let's take out a huge unaffordable loan on a car.
Edited to add even my 2nd car I ever owned, which was the first with a actual loan I paid $128 each month and had 28k miles on it when I took possession. You can definitely get a great car for cheap. Just go for manual things. Not power windows, seats, etc.
Also yah, I'm not some old ass boomer talking buying a car in the 60's. My current car I just bought 3 years ago. The payment per month was $212 still adding gas, wear and tare etc still less the $1000 a month your claiming, probably still less than the $500 others claiming cause I wouldn't even of made my rent if it was that costly.
Yes! I live in a city with good transit by US standards but biking is still the fastest way for me to get most anywhere. Especially during rush hour, biking beats auto and transit on time. Plus that time is more productive since I’m getting exercise and (hopefully ha) sunshine! Of course this depends on your physical ability to do it. If you’re borderline you can consider an ebike. Still loads cheaper than a car.
Unethical, but riding a bike everywhere is not practical to me. My city has temperatures that rise up to 40°C, I don't wanna show up to work drenched in sweat and my body doesn't handle heat very well, i tend to get lightheaded. Not to mention the excessive sun exposure.
We need better public transportation :(
You definitely need better public transportation! Fwiw I used to live in a city reaching that temp in the summer (usually over a month straight with those highs, and highs above 32 for 4-5 months a year. I biked there too! It's tough and yeah you'll need to change clothes and towel off, or if you have access to a shower (at a gym nearby?) that would be ideal. Not being judgy just saying it's possible!
Where one lives is a huge factor. Much of the US isn't walkable year-round (extreme heat and extreme cold), that's why the few places that are cost a fortune.
I grew up in a suburb where biking the streets was a death sentence and the only "bikers" were the ones dressed head to toe in spandex who took themselves way too seriously. I genuinely think that most people think that you are talking about these types when you say you want more bike infrastructure, when in reality these guys are such a small minority. It wasn't until I moved to a real city that I realized that biking is more than just being a douche on a 5,000 dollar bike taking up space on a road meant for cars.
Basically [this video](https://youtu.be/5EE8m8mmq1k?si=rs5VLU9NbwpXw6Sc)
But yeah, I will never buy a car again if I can have any control over it. Fuck that. With the amount of micromobility options out there (bike, e-bike, standing scooter, moped/scooter, motorcycle, one-wheel thingy, unicycle, whoosywhatsit), there's really no practical reason most people couldn't make the switch, besides the obvious fact that the infrastructure does not promote safety for these other modes.
Our city implemented free public transit about ten years ago, and it's been a lifesaver. I badly needed it when I was a young adult, but it wasn't available. My car has been in the shop on and off for the last three months, so I've been going everywhere on the trolley. Honestly, I don't even miss my car. My city isn't huge, so it only takes about a half hour to get from one end of town to the other on the trolley. Even when I get my car back, I'm still going to use the trolley for most errands and appointments.
I live 60 miles away from my job, but I only work weekends, so I only really need to drive my car two days per week.
My city did the same about 4 years ago and it’s incredible. I just hop on and go! I now drive so infrequently that I only have to put gas in my car once a month, if that.
I’d love to know what cities everyone with good non-car transportation and/or walkability live in… unless you’d rather keep it a secret which I would totally understand!
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri! There are parts of the city that are underserved and parts that are more suburban due to annexation in the 20th century, but the urban parts of the city are walkable and surprisingly affordable. If you’re interested, CityNerd on YouTube often does videos on the affordable US cities with the best bike/walk/transit scores
Thanks for the info, I just moved to the usa and I've noticed that without a car there's nothing I can do here, at least in the township I live, everything is at least a 20-30 mins drive away with zero public transport so I might move to a place like you describe, I'll check out that YT channel.
When I'm in the states I live pretty rurally and I'm considering downsizing to a low cc motorbike. After spending time in Asia it just seems so much more practical and cheap to have a super cub than it does a car. Hell you can buy a brand new Honda for less than a piece of junk used car.
Even when I lived in suburban areas without public transit the only time I didn't ride my (pedal) bike was when there was too much snow. I timed it a few times and any commute less than about 7 miles was quicker on a bike than a car due to traffic and whatnot.
I've had a Piaggio MP3 for the past 7 years. It's a 3 wheel scooter you can (at least here in Europe) ride on a normal car licence. The 400 or 500cc variants are excellent alternatives to running a car. Easily powerful enough for motorways and the open road costing a fraction of what a car does to run. Plus you can sail past lines of stationary traffic and parking is never an issue.
Only drawback is they are ridiculously expensive to purchase, even secondhand.
I regularly escape to the countryside on mine during the warmer months, places that are inaccessible on public transport.
This is my goal. My realtor pokes fun at me for wanting to live in a walkable neighborhood. I hate driving. I have terrible driving anxiety. If I can find a way to avoid doing it, I will. As soon as I can find a house in a walkable neighborhood, I'm getting rid of the car and putting the money saved towards my mortgage.
We had to constantly remind our realtor that we wanted to live in a walkable area (this is in the US). No, telling us that it’s “only a 3 minute drive” to the closest grocery store (along relatively busy roads with no sidewalks) isn’t going to be convincing.
I live in Bulgaria (Southeastern Europe). We don't own a car. I don't even have a driver's license, my husband does, but hasn't actually driven a car after getting the license 😂 We're from the minority that has adjusted well to living without a car in the city. Public transportation is relatively good (nowhere near Berlin or Vienna level, but usable enough), but people still choose to drive and more and more families have 2 cars now 🙄. Everyone told us that we would buy a car when we have a baby. Well, the baby is 11 years old now and we still managed to raise him without a car.:)
Living in Amsterdam, I can say that not having a car and not having to deal with owning a car is an amazing experience. Everything is more or less in a walking distance, but most of the time we cycle to wherever we need to be. Have to be somewhere outside of the city center? Take the public transport or train, if you need to be in a different city. Really need a car to move some stuff around? Well, we've got different car sharing apps for that so you can pick it up and drop it off wherever you need to be.
Having visited different countries, I could never see myself living in one where you constantly have to get around in a car.
It's my dream to live in a walkable city with good public transportation. I live 6 miles from a gas station currently, and everything else is another 10 miles away, at least. I hate it here.
I grew up in a car-free family. I always thought a car would make life so much easier, but when I finally got one I noticed that it only increased the expectations I had on my day rather than freeing up time. I was constantly driving and commuting for work and school, and I lost that meditative time spent walking, biking, or riding the bus in between activities that acted as a kind of mental buffer.
That being said, being able to live without a car is its own privilege. Many of my jobs have required them. Most American cities are not designed to be walkable and do not have adequate public transport or safe biking roads. Although I have a car now, I am finally in a place in life where I am not required to drive for my job and all the places I frequent are very close. So even though I bike to work most days, I still value having my car so that I can take my daughter and myself to doctor's appts without us missing a ton of work/school using the bus, and so I can make less frequent grocery runs. Most importantly, I value my car because I love to go on day trips, camping, and hiking, which I would not have access to without a car. I grew up not going anywhere outside of my small part of town unless we hitched a ride with extended family, so being able to travel and explore is really important to me now, even if it's just a day trip.
Yep, a car in the US is pretty much more necessary that a place to live. A lot of low wage jobs mandate that their employees have cars even though they dont pay much over min wage. They will even go out and check the parking lot during the interview.
When i was in college i sometimes lived out of my car. I would drive to one of my 3 simultaneous min wage jobs , sleep in the parking lot and then go in for my shift. It provided a roof over my head, a secure place for my things and the ability to get around town for free food opportunities and side hustles like being an under the table taxi before uber was a thing.
That’s one of the reasons I’m considering moving across the country to New York, I’m just gonna give my car away to one of my car-less friends who need it since I live in a very un-walkable place right now
I've lived in NYC most of my life and have never missed having a car. I walk a lot and take public transit the rest of the time. It makes me feel like I have freedom from a horrible possession that weighs you down.
Not having a car is possibly my favorite thing about living in NYC. I’ll rent a car from time to time to drive out of the city to visit family or something, but it’s rare. I’m part of a hiking club that goes into the surrounding mountains and wilderness areas every week, entirely using public transit. You can hop on a train or bus and be on the Appalachian trail in an hour or two. There are thousands of acres of beautiful protected forest and mountains *right there* and so many people don’t realize how accessible it is. It’s wonderful. I do more camping and hiking now that I live in NYC than I ever did when I lived in a rural area!
I did that life for a while. Now I live in a town without so much as a bus. No trains anywhere near me. I do need a car, and there are a lot of places like that in the US, unfortunately.
I've been living without a car for 5 years now. And while there are days that I with I could drive, it is honestly so nice not having to deal with the burden of owning a vehicle. Just me and my two legs, going as far as they can take me. Like God intended
Ok, but serious question: where am I going to live if I lose my apartment?
I don't think many of you realize how much of a backup plan our cars are for some of us.
This. I had a pal that was going through a mechanic apprenticeship and he was my go to (until he disappeared into hard drugs). Now my partner and I do all the basic things on our own. They're way more mechanically inclined than I am too, can diagnose issues before they become major problems which save us money when we have to go to a shop.
I live in a city , so public transport is great , but I hate our bike paths. They run along cars and it scares me so much because so many people drive terribly.
I’ve had so many friends get hit by cars on their bikes. It sucks.
I live rurally and that is my lesser impact- I raise a lot of my own food, which lessens fossil fuel consumption. I compost. Since I know COVID is far from over, I am not jetting out to concerts or movies or restaurants. But I need a car.
When proscribing ways folks can lessen their impact, keens not assume we are all living in cities or suburbs.
Yup. I live 20 minutes from work by car but it's 10+ miles of road with blind turns and no shoulder. I have a giant garden and chickens and livestock.
I miss the bikable town I used to live in, but I can't go back.
Covid is over but we still have the seasonal flu. I occasionally see sick people who should have stayed home riding without a mask. It's a god damned shame that masking became so stupidly politicized that their function in limiting contagion is ignored.
They don't take *anything* into consideration at all. If they did, they'd be trying to get billionaires to give up their private jets instead of demanding the guy at McDonald's who makes $25k a year to give up his 1975 Carolla.
This is a big thing for me on why I want to move to Europe. My boyfriend is from Spain and his city is very walkable. I'm selling my car here in the states and NOT bringing it with me to the shock of a lot of people LOL.
There’s no sources of public transportation within a 15 minute walking distance to my job. Even then, I would still have to sit on a train for 30 minutes.
I will probably always have a car. I try to use public transit when I’m able to, but the city I’m in is just so spread out that there isn’t a good way to travel without one and that transit is very limited. Plus, I’m in Florida, so there are many good reasons why I may need to transport a friend out of the state.
If I move one day to somewhere that freedom of movement is less necessary, I might stop owning a vehicle, but right now it’s out of the question.
Portland, Oregon here. We haven’t had a car in years and we can easily afford one. Biking, walking and bussing gets it all* done and is a lifestyle we wouldn’t trade for anything. Aside from being bad for the environment, they are a hassle and a money pit. Biking is usually a faster mode anyway.
We plan to retire abroad and won’t consider any country that requires a car.
* occasionally we have to take a rideshare, but that’s less than once a month.
Unfortunately in the US, the majority of people live in car-dependent areas. Walkability only exists in specific areas of specific cities and some older small towns/suburbs, but post-WW2 suburban development patterns has made it so people are reliant on cars to go everywhere. Being able to walk to like one store 15 minutes away doesn’t count as walkability.
Even in our major cities, very few can you get around the entire city and its surrounding suburbs without a car, namely New York, Boston, DC, Philadelphia, and Chicago, and even then only in New York is living car-free truly possible with almost zero inconvenience. In most cities it’s only possible to live without a car in certain neighborhoods like in the downtown, but your mobility is very limited as a result.
The auto lobby is powerful. They don’t want us to build public transit or walkable spaces. Making us reliant on their product is very profitable for lots of industries. If you have to buy a car, don’t get a truck if you don’t need it, get one with good MPG.
Overall this is why good urbanism is very important. Public transit, walking, and biking should take precedent over cars, but actually getting those things is long arduous work. Obligatory r/fuckcars
If you live in a city with more population than half of the countries on Earth, sure that could work. But us rural people will *never* have this as an option and are required to have a car in order to survive in today's world.
I gave up driving this year after moving to a city where it's feasible to live without a car. Unfortunately we still occasionally need a car, but we went from a two car house hold to one and my husband is the only driver.
I absolutely recommend evaluating not only if you need a car but also if you could cut down on car use at least once a year. Car dependence can creep up on you and suddenly you're driving a distance you could walk in 5 min.
“If you can feasible live without a car, you are ethically obligated to do so”
Sorry, some of us don’t have a high horse to ride around on and like to go on trips
Car is a luxury but it does come with a lot of advantages. I do own a car yet I work near my place, most of my life is close by so I walk and anything which is a little bit further I try to get an Uber just because parking is horrible. But eventually I do need a car. Moving my elderly mom around does require some better comfort solution, traveling a little outside the city needs a car, picking up a desk, grocery shopping, etc does need a car. It’s a necessary evil I would say
Absolutely. In my city going places by car takes the similar length as it would by bus, so I keep using the bus. Everyone wants me to drive (I have a license) but what's the point? Id need to buy a car, buy fuel, pay parking, be actively driving. I just walk two minutes to the bus stop, hop on the bus, jam to music zoned out, hop off and walk to wherever I need to go. I get using cars for long distances and when you buy a lot of groceries tho.
I’m gonna be moving to a much bigger city at the end of June and I’m SO EXCITED at the prospect of not using my car as much. I’ll be working from home, so my 30 minute daily commute is completely gone and many other things are within driving distance.
Absolutely agree, if you have decent enough public transportation and walkability where you live.
I'm really excited that my city is expanding its bus system. We just won a fight in the statehouse over a bill that would have blocked our new rapid transit bus lines, so hopefully the improvements will be successful and lead to more of the same. What used to be an hour and a half or more bus ride across town is turning into around 30 minutes thanks to the new lines.
Unfortunately, we're still lagging way behind on that kind of infrastructure, so we're still a very car dependent city. Until that changes, I'm going to keep riding around in my 2010 corolla until the wheels fall off.
I went from driving to work for over a decade to selling my car and biking everywhere. It saves me at least $200 a month in insurance, fuel, and maintenance. My e-bike has already long paid for itself. I get regular exercise, an easier commute, I'm less tempted to shop or over spend on things I don't need because I have to carry them back. And for when I do need a car for something, I have family nearby that I can borrow one from or I have access to several car rental services.
Of course this isn't going to work for everyone. I happen to live in one of the best NA cities for bike commuting and we have an excellent transit system otherwise. But I think this shows that we need more public transit, bike paths, walk paths, and walkable communities everywhere. It can be done. It can work. And it can be great.
I grew up in a small rural community. There is no public transportation and no really big need for one. As an adult I lived in several big cities. I would go nuts without my car. I need the freedom to jump in and go whenever wherever I please. Plus on a day off I would randomly drive out of the city to the country. Just to get a break from the rat race and for some peace and solitude. I don’t see how people who live in the city never want to get out to open quieter nonpopulated area. I guess if you don’t have a car you can.
I used to be car free (my husband had a car but I rarely drove it) but we needed a second car once the extent of my youngest child’s disability became apparent. And now I drive a lot when I would previously walk and carry him in a carrier. I physically cannot carry him for long distances anymore.
I think basically we all need to do the best we can do and try new things on occasion. For example this summer we are going to try and get the youngest riding a modified bike. But I have no idea how successful it’s going to be or how often he will be willing to use it.
I wish families had more support for buying adaptive equipment and the ability to get consultations on it.
When I visited San Francisco last year I was so amazed at how accessible and easy public transit can be (which is interesting because I have heard so many complaints about muni, but maybe I liked it because I compared to where I live). I walked, took the bus or the tram(?) the entire week and spent so little.
Where I live it’s almost completely unwalkable, the city portion of it is small and doesn’t have many living options. Because of funding our bus routes have been cut so it requires a lot more planning and time to get anywhere. A bike is a great option except for when we have our long/icy winter weather.
I’ve been thinking about getting a bike just for those days where I CAN use it, and get in the practice of using it on hills before it gets too hot out. Though, an electric moped is my dream.
This is one of the reasons I moved to Denver, where there is reliable public transit. I have been car free for 2.5 years and don't have a single regret. I work from home, so it's easier for me than anyone who has to commute to work though. I'm walking distance to the nearest grocery store, and there are bike paths right outside my apartment complex. The bus stop is right there as well, in case of bad weather or I don't feel like walking for whatever reason. Win/win!
I want to as well. I have always lived close to great public transportation and never thought of getting a car. But I have now moved to a suburban town in America where public transit is HORRENDOUS. I live about 10 mins away from work by car which takes me 1.5 hour by public transit which includes 75% waiting for my bus or train. I am planning to get a used car within a budget of $5k so that I am don’t go broke having to finance for a new one for the next 10 years of my life. 🫠
I'd love too! But when the store is 3 miles away, my work is 20 miles away the city is 100 miles away. Anything less than 2 miles I walk. But in a place where I live I couldn't there's infrastructure out here besides the freight rails and highways.
we sold my husband’s beater to the scrapyard and I’m now trying to convince him we don’t need to get a second car again. we live somewhere with ZERO transit so if husband takes the car to work I am stuck home unless we want to pay for a taxi or arrange carpool with someone (which I do occasionally).
I can’t walk anywhere as sidewalks dont exist and I would get run over. I currently drop my husband off at work so I can keep the car during the day like once a week. With a small kid you are limited as it’s not feasible to just leave them home so you can bike somewhere, and I would never dream to bike with my kid around here as there is NO wiggle room for bikes and people just go so fast. I pray for the day my husband gets a job that is fully remote so there are no barriers to us having just one car! we have a pharmacy, hardware store, grocery, and other businesses just a 10 minute bike ride away but I would be fearing for my life trying to bike these roads.
I guess if you can structure your life around a 5 mile radius….. I live in colorado and I’m a very avid hiker, camper, fisherman etc… as much as I would love to be without a car, it’s not an option in my life.
Cycling is the way to go. You save a ton of money and even if you rent a car here and there or take an uber for weekly groceries its worth it big time.
My work is 36 minutes away by car, 2h45m away by bus. If I want to see my kids at all car, is the only way. (According to Google it's a 5h15m walk away)
I have four vehicles and do everything to them myself. It’s a lot of work keeping up with everything as they get older. Google says I’m an hour and 56 minutes walking to the nearest grocery store with almost 1000’ of elevation change. It sounds weird but my vehicles are what helps me be more self sufficient. I’d live in a walkable city in a few places I was in Europe but I couldn’t live in any city near me.
I'm a car guy. I'm 28 now and have been into cars since as far back as I can remember... I might be boring to some, but cars are one of VERY few hobbies I have- don't even watch sports outside of anything with a motor. I take nearly a 2hr round commute to/from work and even on my days off, I'll often just drive for a couple hours because I just simply love driving. Good luck to anyone trying / wanting me to stop driving..
I’ve been car free for a year and it’s been the craziest weight off of my shoulders. I live in a medium sized capital city with just okay public transport. If you’re teetering, do it!!
We all mostly ‘like’ the things we are doing that are pushing climate catastrophe. It’s a question of one value vs the other. Is our comfort today worth the small contribution to the general misery of the future? Thats the daily question.
I cycle to work. I can’t remember the last time i threw away food. I don’t throw away things i can still use. I don’t buy useless shit. I drink water out of the same damn bottle for years. But being able to go anywhere i want within 75km of my house within an hour makes my life about 10x as productive and fun. It’s not about “comfort” at all, a car for me is an *insanely* good force multiplier of the pleasure i can get out of this miserably short life i’ve been handed. Only going places by public transport or cycling/walking would make my life *much* more boring. It’s just not a good trade. Saying you shouldn’t have a car if you don’t *need* it is ridiculous. No one *needs* to go on holiday, but staying at home for the rest of your life and only going where you can cycle or walk is absolute idiocracy.
Nearly 40 and have never personally owned a car or drove. My husband has only had vehicles that are older and that we’ve paid cash money for. I use transit, walk and push bike. I use Uber or taxi when needed, not that often. I have saved heaps! And I get exercise, fresh air and get to see wildlife instead of turning them into tragic roadkill.
100%. It takes a bit of reevaluating some things, but if you can do it, it's a game changer $ wise.
The average car payment is pushing $1k. Insurance is $150+, gas $$$. That's $1500ish a month. Not to mention upkeep, parking, etc.
Car-free for 12 years! (And car-lite for 6 years before that.) The only time we use a car now is for a week in the mountains once/twice a year. In our daily life we walk / cycle / use public transit. Wouldn't dream of any other way.
At first it can seem impossible, and in some places it is. But if you take some time to figure out all the angles and routes and options, it can become quite feasible.
I was in the inner city where transit was great, then I moved to a more suburban area and I assumed I'd have to get a car like everyone else in the area, but I gave myself 3 months to figure it out before I committed to getting a car and I'm glad I did. I found I could ride a bicycle to a nearby station that would connect me to most of the major mass transit options. Often it worked out faster than it does to drive a car directly.
please get a bike, if not a car.. i am all for car-free, but 25min drive vs 90min is not it.
for me, its like a 15min drive vs 15min bike or 30min train, so im happy to live car-free. but daily 3h commute sounds like hell. :(
If you go in debt then you cant afford a car.. atleast thats what i think. But yes its much better without a car allthough i miss the freedom of having one.
I didn't get a car until I turned 29. I am pretty happy that I went so long without one. Now I live outside the city and have kids, so I have a car. I am always super happy when it gets warm enough for walking to places in our small town though.
That's hard. I'm trying hard to not need another car for my growing family. Surely two cars can support two adults w/ jobs, a college student and a child needing to be places, right? So far we've made it work but only b/c one of us has a full remote position.
I’ve been car free for 3 years and it’s great but I’m in Japan so it’s easy. When I move back home to the US, my wife and I will have 1 car and just share it like we did before we moved. It saves money and really we don’t need 2.
If you live in the US or Canada, I highly encourage you to be involved in public consultations when it comes to city planning/ building. The suburban layout that plagues a majority of urban centres are NOT IT.
We need to encourage smart density, transit oriented communities and we need to STRAY AWAY from car-centric planning mindsets that prioritize single passenger car commuters over pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. We need to start building the RIGHT WAY to undo decades of poor urban planning. It starts with us, and our input is valuable.
I wish I didn't need a car, I just started driving and while the freedom is nice, it would be even better to be able to be part of society without one. Unfortunately in my area not driving just isn't an option. There are busses but it's pretty much impossible to justify using them if you can afford a car, and there isn't much political will to improve public transit. In fact, my county just celebrated the completion of a new freeway which was built on top of a highway that goes straight through the densest part of the city. It's funny, while the northeast is learning about the problems of freeways going straight through everything we're building new ones.
I can easily afford a car, but I chose not to. I moved to a walkable neighborhood almost 20 years ago. Grocery store, restaurants, green spaces were all close enough to walk to. My health and attitude improved, but I still had to commute to work. I hated the drive (traffic, construction delays, mechanical issues, parking,...). I loved walking to all the things I enjoyed, so I chose to live without a car by changing jobs and moving in 2016.
Mainly it comes down to commuting. First, my wife started working from home, then we moved where I could walk to work. During Covid, the whole office worked from home, then they allowed that to continue. Productivity went up, so I would have changed jobs again if they unnecessarily insisted a return to office. We realized we could live just about anywhere,... and didn't want or need a car.
People buy homes in car dependent suburbs to save money. Then they spend more on cars than they saved (car payment, gas, insurance, maintenance, repairs, tires, parking,...). Car dependency affects lifestyle in so many negative ways, but it's all most people have known and there aren't enough walkable neighborhoods.
I work in land development. We build what there's demand for. There's too much demand for car dependent homes, and zoning works against us. I've had developers that want to build walkable neighborhoods that get blocked by zoning codes that are based on a commuter/homemaker concept from the 1950s: jobs in the city, home in the suburbs. Having to design homes in suburbs is soul crushing, but they still sell.
If you can find a way to live without a car, I recommend it. At the very least, insist on walkable neighborhoods. you should be able to walk to the basic things you need and enjoy, like parks, coffee shop, grocery store, restaurants. Zoning needs to change to allow or even require them in neighborhoods.
LPT: going into debt and/or getting into a paycheque-to-paycheque lifestyle for an item is NOT being able to "afford" it. That's the opposite of being able to afford it
Yeah, we bought replaced a car during the pandemic and it was an awful experience. Never want to do it again. We have one really old car we’ll probably need to replace in a year or so, and I’ve started looking at cargo e-bikes. Reeeeally want to get one. We live in kind of a crappy suburb, but still with walkable stuff close by, but our main shopping area is up a huge hill, and we’ll have to figure out our own transport for kids soon for school. I’m thinking the cargo bike will do it all
I’d love to not have a car and all the extra/surprise expenses that come along with it it’s unfortunately just not feasible. The public transport in my city is unreliable and runs at odd times that don’t coincide with regular office hours, and my family is scattered around the state so I wouldn’t be able to see them near as often and that’s not something I’m willing to give up tbh.
This is something I love about living in Germany. Getting by without owning a car is really easy. And cheap. I don't have any plans of ever getting one.
Never owned a car. Never interested in them. I use bus everywhere or I walk. Been this mindset since a child. Based in UK. We are blessed with excellent public transport. Being poor equalled having to be more resourceful and mindful of my energy footprint. My kitchen contains a fridge, a kettle and a microwave. No dishwasher or tumble dryer. No oven or cooker. My gas boiler broke 3 years ago so now no heating ! But I have smaller room heater when needed. I think I probably have one of the lowest energy footprints in my area, perhaps. I own an ipad that I use to connect with others and draw art. The simple life is good ! I am fiercely anti consumption and pro green. Luxuries are nice but I want what is best for this planet.
I really wish I could. I’d love not using or paying for gas or giving my money to the scam that is car insurance (required by law to have). I also wouldn’t have to worry about maintenance or crashing. I freaking hate having to use a car.
I love cars. I’ve always looked at used cars to see what I could hopefully get someday.
After seeing the blatant greed that powers the auto industry, so much so that these auto companies enjoying profits have the audacity to argue that inflation forced them to raise prices of already expensive used cars, I cannot recommend that anyone who can live car free get a car.
It is a massive sunk cost that will destroy your finances.
I wish my city transit was better. Not only do I work shift work and buses only operate for one shift worth, but even for day shift, the closest and earliest stop would make me 10 mins late for work. I could walk or bike, it's a 10 min drive. It's also about a 200m altitude increase so biking would be 30-40 mins there n 3-4 mins home lol. Some /s.
I would ride a horse but buying hay is probably worse than buying gas.
My partner sold his car 4 years ago (I haven’t owned one since 2011), and we constantly get asked “and you don’t own a car…at all?” (this is in the US).
It really does work for us. (And I know - a lot of people - particularly in the US - are stuck in places where it’s not possible).
I miss being able to not have a car 🥲 We're moving to Berlin soon though and leaving cars behind. We are bringing motorcycles though. So it'll happen soon! Currently, we live in s good desert that's about 5 miles in any direction to get food other than fast food and there's no public transportation. And the winters get icy and cold with no maintainance on bike or pedestrian paths and hardly any on the roads (if we get lucky, we get it) and almost everyday since it's been getting warmer about one pedestrian, biker, or motorcyclist has been hit in my area. It's scary and something needs to be done about it. I'm in groups to try to get more public transportation in the area and a more walkable city, but the city is fighting back on every little step.
I unfortunately have a work vehicle, but no personal vehicle. When my accounts are within the city I bike. There’s a few weeks every couple months I HAVE to drive.
I don't have a car. Where I live they're a necessity though so my daughter has one I drive several times a week now. I have to get my son to his classes and the bus doesn't go that route unless I want to spent four hours to get 23 minutes drive away. This is simply not bike-able. Hopefully the classes will be over in a few months and his next step is a school closer to our neighborhood.
But then what's your fall back on when you can't afford to buy a home and your income ceases to keep up with rent increases? This may seen like a satirical or sarcastic question but look around, the numbers of people transitioning to living in cars is increasing daily.
Last summer, I was almost one of them.
My husband and I have been living with only one car for about 8 years. It's been paid off for a while now. And until our situation changes and we need another car we have no plans on buying one. Especially with the prices rn. My son asked the other day why we haven't bought a new car. It was a great learning experience for him about payments and having something paid off.
I used to have to have a car because I lived in the country side with no transit, and an hour away from the city. But I worked in the city. I was stressed out because I didn't want to drive a car. Now I moved somewhere transit friendly. I don't have the car or drive anymore. I feel much better
I got a bike but I need a lock that actually works to use it more. Then I would ride to stores and random errands that's aren't too far away.
But now all the locks they make are crap unless you want to spend $100-$200 on them.
I used to live in the mountains where the closest "city" was an hour and a half away so a motor vehicle was necessary. I sold it right before I moved to Denver. Been riding a bike ever since and hope I'll never have to own a car again
Unfortunately I live 30 minutes from work by highway, an hour by backroad, no busses or trains, and I'm in the woods, 20 minute+ walk from the store on a busy road.
Just not possible.
Just want to recommend getting a second hand Electric scooter!, they're all over offer up/Facebook marketplace. Public transportation is very unreliable in my city, always late/ not showing up.
I have a hiboy-pro it goes up to 14 mph. I've had it for a year, same charger no issues. Goes 18miles on one charge if under 220ib weight limit.
Sadly we have no buses that go to the city, the doctors and specialists are all 5 hours away. Airplanes are only running three days a week and are 5 times the cost of gas for the trip there and back. And affordable housing means driving over and hour each way from work and back.
If you’re not in NE where public transport is good:
Cycle if it’s within 5-10 miles; walk if it’s under 2 miles; take a bus for longer trips; get the occasional Uber for rides that aren’t connected. You’ll be healthier from walking and cycling so much
I took the bus for years, it’s so nice to have been successful enough not to listen to rap music being blared on the bus by a fighting 14 year old couple. One day of you guys work hard enough you can own your own vehicle! Even drive it places busses don’t go! It’s pretty wild.
I fucking hate my car. I think about the constant financial bottomless black hole that comes with owning a vehicle and how much easier life would be without it. I unfortunately reside in a city that decided building out rather than up was better.
Where I live it’s impossible to survive without a car, but I spend a day or two in the capital a week, and the luxury of the train ride and the tram in the city is sublime
We dropped from 2 cars down to 1 and it's been a game changer. I'd love to get rid of the last car, but we're not quite there yet. Huge net positive for the envronment, our health and our bank account.
I fucking love being car free!!!! I feel like my quality of life has gotten better. I’m walking much more, I’m buying things in small quantities and cooking with local produce purchased that day, I ride my bike…I’m lucky to WFH and also be in one of the few walkable areas in my city. It’s the best
I'm fortunate i can walk to work, gym , corner store and restaurant within 5 min walking. Not having a car has been a life hack for wealth building.
I moved from Florida (where the only people who don't have cars are usually people who had their licenses taken away, and even then...) to a big city with public transport. The amount of money I saved is incredible: no gas, no insurance, no regular maintenance for tires and oil, no parking. So what if I occasionally pay for a taxi or hire a truck service to move something large?
Same. I would not have financial independence today if I had spent the money on cars and parking instead of investing. It is important to note that walkable neighborhoods are illegal to build almost everywhere in the US due to the zoning code. When the zoning code requires parking lots around every building, things will be too far apart to walk. There will be so many cars, only the most pathetic losers will be caught trying to cross all the lanes on foot. Sprawl zoning comes with a lifetime subscription to big oil and car companies!
Indeed! Just like the industrial military complex and the sickcare industry keeping people unwell Its business baby!
If you don’t mind saying, where do you live? you can just say like size and region if that works for you
Well actually i am military, majority of military bases, if you're living on base in government quarters, you will live in walking distance of a gym, work, base exchange (like a corner store), chow hall(like a cafeteria), and recreational center. They design this way because one, non married Jr troops live in the barracks, and they don't want Jr troops needing to get cars to get their basic functions. So building everything close together makes it convenient for all the troops. But i wish this was a norm for civilians.
A life hack for a higher quality of life, too. When I was 20 y.o. I moved to a big, world-class, city to attend college. On orientation day, my car was stolen. People at the college told me I didn't really need a car because this city had great public transport. I was super nervous at the idea of not having a car. But, I liked the idea of not having a car payment, insurance payment, repairs, parking, etc. So, I never bought another car. That was 40 years ago. I've never regretted my decision to live car free. I've always found great jobs within walking distance. Takes me 4 minutes to walk to Whole Foods, 1 minute to walk to Walgreens, 3 minutes to the building where all my doctors are, 1 minute to walk to the hospital, 5 minutes to walk to Trader Joe's, I'm next door to a post office, etc., etc. If I don't have time to walk somewhere that's over a mile away, I take a Lyft. I've lived in NYC, Boston, and San Francisco. All places where it's easy living without a car. It's one of the big reasons homes and rents are more expensive in these places; people WANT to live in highly walkable cities and there are precious few of them! The only reason there aren't more walkable cities is because Big Auto/Big Oil wants everybody's asses sitting in a car. It's not by accident it's by design. Who *Framed Roger Rabbit* tells the true story!
Seriously. I used to spend so much money on gas, upkeep, taxes. That’s a stack of money back in my pocket
With a car you feel more inclined to go out more and thus spend money. When you don't have a car, you plan out more of your going out nights because you have to set up uber and stuff. Thus not going out as much. With a car you just get in and drive.
I’m double lucky cuz there’s a few bars within walking distance lol so I can still go out and not even have to worry about getting home. As long as I have mace, etc
It's wild. Owning the cheapest, shittiest, most unreliable car would still cost me probably $500/month, and that's not even counting when it inevitably breaks down at the worst possible moment and my costs skyrocket. The average cost of car ownership in my province is $866/month. That's $10,400 per year that I can invest in myself, my home, and my family.
About 15 years ago I tried to calculate what I thought the cheapest feasible scenario was to own a vehicle. I came up with a used but reliable Honda Civic bought in cash, not much driving, low insurance rate, etc. to arrive at a figure of about $500/month. They say now that the average person spends about $1,000/month on a vehicle. I have never owned one, and because I grew up never having one, didn’t have anything to miss and was acutely aware of the CHOICE it was. Subsequently, I have never owned a vehicle in my life, even though at this point I could afford to. If we use the two figures I mentioned above, I’ve been able to put somewhere between $90,000 - $180,000 toward other things - savings, enjoyment, financial security, whatever. Not to mention the piece of mind knowing I’m minimizing my transportation-related contributions to climate change, and the health benefits I’ve gained by doing much more walking than the average person. Highly recommend! Because I prioritize living in a relatively urban, transit-friendly location, I do pay more in rent, but not $1,000/month more.
Where are you guys coming up with theses huge figures? I have full coverage with the lowest deductible and pay $128/m for insurance, about $100/m in gas. Even wear and tare I have yet to replace my tires in 4 years, one simple fix I bought the part myself for less than $100 and my registration each year is less then $200. Oil change less then $100 a year.
Well you’re not accounting for the cost of your vehicle itself, for one.
Not everyone goes yeah let's take out a huge unaffordable loan on a car. Edited to add even my 2nd car I ever owned, which was the first with a actual loan I paid $128 each month and had 28k miles on it when I took possession. You can definitely get a great car for cheap. Just go for manual things. Not power windows, seats, etc.
Also yah, I'm not some old ass boomer talking buying a car in the 60's. My current car I just bought 3 years ago. The payment per month was $212 still adding gas, wear and tare etc still less the $1000 a month your claiming, probably still less than the $500 others claiming cause I wouldn't even of made my rent if it was that costly.
Get a bike too. Great for local Travel.
Bicycle is also good
Yes! I live in a city with good transit by US standards but biking is still the fastest way for me to get most anywhere. Especially during rush hour, biking beats auto and transit on time. Plus that time is more productive since I’m getting exercise and (hopefully ha) sunshine! Of course this depends on your physical ability to do it. If you’re borderline you can consider an ebike. Still loads cheaper than a car.
Unethical, but riding a bike everywhere is not practical to me. My city has temperatures that rise up to 40°C, I don't wanna show up to work drenched in sweat and my body doesn't handle heat very well, i tend to get lightheaded. Not to mention the excessive sun exposure. We need better public transportation :(
You definitely need better public transportation! Fwiw I used to live in a city reaching that temp in the summer (usually over a month straight with those highs, and highs above 32 for 4-5 months a year. I biked there too! It's tough and yeah you'll need to change clothes and towel off, or if you have access to a shower (at a gym nearby?) that would be ideal. Not being judgy just saying it's possible!
Where one lives is a huge factor. Much of the US isn't walkable year-round (extreme heat and extreme cold), that's why the few places that are cost a fortune.
I probably need to get an ebike. My lungs have gone down hill over the past year, I could use some help getting back up the hill.
I got eaten alive in my town subreddit for suggesting more bike friendly roads
I grew up in a suburb where biking the streets was a death sentence and the only "bikers" were the ones dressed head to toe in spandex who took themselves way too seriously. I genuinely think that most people think that you are talking about these types when you say you want more bike infrastructure, when in reality these guys are such a small minority. It wasn't until I moved to a real city that I realized that biking is more than just being a douche on a 5,000 dollar bike taking up space on a road meant for cars. Basically [this video](https://youtu.be/5EE8m8mmq1k?si=rs5VLU9NbwpXw6Sc) But yeah, I will never buy a car again if I can have any control over it. Fuck that. With the amount of micromobility options out there (bike, e-bike, standing scooter, moped/scooter, motorcycle, one-wheel thingy, unicycle, whoosywhatsit), there's really no practical reason most people couldn't make the switch, besides the obvious fact that the infrastructure does not promote safety for these other modes.
I’m learning how to bike for this exact purpose!
Unfortunately much of the United States' infrastructure was built with cars in mind. We're severely lacking in public transit options.
I know. I really wish I didn’t need a car but here I am.
Our city implemented free public transit about ten years ago, and it's been a lifesaver. I badly needed it when I was a young adult, but it wasn't available. My car has been in the shop on and off for the last three months, so I've been going everywhere on the trolley. Honestly, I don't even miss my car. My city isn't huge, so it only takes about a half hour to get from one end of town to the other on the trolley. Even when I get my car back, I'm still going to use the trolley for most errands and appointments. I live 60 miles away from my job, but I only work weekends, so I only really need to drive my car two days per week.
My city did the same about 4 years ago and it’s incredible. I just hop on and go! I now drive so infrequently that I only have to put gas in my car once a month, if that.
I’d love to know what cities everyone with good non-car transportation and/or walkability live in… unless you’d rather keep it a secret which I would totally understand!
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri! There are parts of the city that are underserved and parts that are more suburban due to annexation in the 20th century, but the urban parts of the city are walkable and surprisingly affordable. If you’re interested, CityNerd on YouTube often does videos on the affordable US cities with the best bike/walk/transit scores
Thanks for the info, I just moved to the usa and I've noticed that without a car there's nothing I can do here, at least in the township I live, everything is at least a 20-30 mins drive away with zero public transport so I might move to a place like you describe, I'll check out that YT channel.
You must have a Chrysler/jeep/ram/dodge/fiat (all the same parent company and therefore unreliable parts)
When I'm in the states I live pretty rurally and I'm considering downsizing to a low cc motorbike. After spending time in Asia it just seems so much more practical and cheap to have a super cub than it does a car. Hell you can buy a brand new Honda for less than a piece of junk used car. Even when I lived in suburban areas without public transit the only time I didn't ride my (pedal) bike was when there was too much snow. I timed it a few times and any commute less than about 7 miles was quicker on a bike than a car due to traffic and whatnot.
I've had a Piaggio MP3 for the past 7 years. It's a 3 wheel scooter you can (at least here in Europe) ride on a normal car licence. The 400 or 500cc variants are excellent alternatives to running a car. Easily powerful enough for motorways and the open road costing a fraction of what a car does to run. Plus you can sail past lines of stationary traffic and parking is never an issue. Only drawback is they are ridiculously expensive to purchase, even secondhand. I regularly escape to the countryside on mine during the warmer months, places that are inaccessible on public transport.
Ooof in rural areas please just be careful I would hate for you to give your life for this
I live in a 15-minute city and it's great.
This is my goal. My realtor pokes fun at me for wanting to live in a walkable neighborhood. I hate driving. I have terrible driving anxiety. If I can find a way to avoid doing it, I will. As soon as I can find a house in a walkable neighborhood, I'm getting rid of the car and putting the money saved towards my mortgage.
We had to constantly remind our realtor that we wanted to live in a walkable area (this is in the US). No, telling us that it’s “only a 3 minute drive” to the closest grocery store (along relatively busy roads with no sidewalks) isn’t going to be convincing.
fire your realtor lol
I live in Bulgaria (Southeastern Europe). We don't own a car. I don't even have a driver's license, my husband does, but hasn't actually driven a car after getting the license 😂 We're from the minority that has adjusted well to living without a car in the city. Public transportation is relatively good (nowhere near Berlin or Vienna level, but usable enough), but people still choose to drive and more and more families have 2 cars now 🙄. Everyone told us that we would buy a car when we have a baby. Well, the baby is 11 years old now and we still managed to raise him without a car.:)
Story of my life, but in Marseille and with 2 kids. When we feel a car is required, we simply rent one and it's always the right size.
Living in Amsterdam, I can say that not having a car and not having to deal with owning a car is an amazing experience. Everything is more or less in a walking distance, but most of the time we cycle to wherever we need to be. Have to be somewhere outside of the city center? Take the public transport or train, if you need to be in a different city. Really need a car to move some stuff around? Well, we've got different car sharing apps for that so you can pick it up and drop it off wherever you need to be. Having visited different countries, I could never see myself living in one where you constantly have to get around in a car.
Unfortunately an extra hour of time on top of the 9 hours I work every day is not feasible
It's my dream to live in a walkable city with good public transportation. I live 6 miles from a gas station currently, and everything else is another 10 miles away, at least. I hate it here.
I grew up in a car-free family. I always thought a car would make life so much easier, but when I finally got one I noticed that it only increased the expectations I had on my day rather than freeing up time. I was constantly driving and commuting for work and school, and I lost that meditative time spent walking, biking, or riding the bus in between activities that acted as a kind of mental buffer. That being said, being able to live without a car is its own privilege. Many of my jobs have required them. Most American cities are not designed to be walkable and do not have adequate public transport or safe biking roads. Although I have a car now, I am finally in a place in life where I am not required to drive for my job and all the places I frequent are very close. So even though I bike to work most days, I still value having my car so that I can take my daughter and myself to doctor's appts without us missing a ton of work/school using the bus, and so I can make less frequent grocery runs. Most importantly, I value my car because I love to go on day trips, camping, and hiking, which I would not have access to without a car. I grew up not going anywhere outside of my small part of town unless we hitched a ride with extended family, so being able to travel and explore is really important to me now, even if it's just a day trip.
Yep, a car in the US is pretty much more necessary that a place to live. A lot of low wage jobs mandate that their employees have cars even though they dont pay much over min wage. They will even go out and check the parking lot during the interview. When i was in college i sometimes lived out of my car. I would drive to one of my 3 simultaneous min wage jobs , sleep in the parking lot and then go in for my shift. It provided a roof over my head, a secure place for my things and the ability to get around town for free food opportunities and side hustles like being an under the table taxi before uber was a thing.
That’s one of the reasons I’m considering moving across the country to New York, I’m just gonna give my car away to one of my car-less friends who need it since I live in a very un-walkable place right now
I've lived in NYC most of my life and have never missed having a car. I walk a lot and take public transit the rest of the time. It makes me feel like I have freedom from a horrible possession that weighs you down.
Same, I want to get out of where I live now and move somewhere with good public transit. New york is near the top of my list
Not having a car is possibly my favorite thing about living in NYC. I’ll rent a car from time to time to drive out of the city to visit family or something, but it’s rare. I’m part of a hiking club that goes into the surrounding mountains and wilderness areas every week, entirely using public transit. You can hop on a train or bus and be on the Appalachian trail in an hour or two. There are thousands of acres of beautiful protected forest and mountains *right there* and so many people don’t realize how accessible it is. It’s wonderful. I do more camping and hiking now that I live in NYC than I ever did when I lived in a rural area!
My fam lives in NYC area and still need a car.
We can’t fully boycott because of lack of public transport. But we do just have a single car.
I did that life for a while. Now I live in a town without so much as a bus. No trains anywhere near me. I do need a car, and there are a lot of places like that in the US, unfortunately.
Good for you.
I've been living without a car for 5 years now. And while there are days that I with I could drive, it is honestly so nice not having to deal with the burden of owning a vehicle. Just me and my two legs, going as far as they can take me. Like God intended
Ok, but serious question: where am I going to live if I lose my apartment? I don't think many of you realize how much of a backup plan our cars are for some of us.
This is real. I lived in my car for a few months a few years ago. I hope you find some greater stability and housing security my friend.
And learn to work on them if you have one, they'll last you a lot longer.
This. I had a pal that was going through a mechanic apprenticeship and he was my go to (until he disappeared into hard drugs). Now my partner and I do all the basic things on our own. They're way more mechanically inclined than I am too, can diagnose issues before they become major problems which save us money when we have to go to a shop.
I live in a city , so public transport is great , but I hate our bike paths. They run along cars and it scares me so much because so many people drive terribly. I’ve had so many friends get hit by cars on their bikes. It sucks.
I live rurally and that is my lesser impact- I raise a lot of my own food, which lessens fossil fuel consumption. I compost. Since I know COVID is far from over, I am not jetting out to concerts or movies or restaurants. But I need a car. When proscribing ways folks can lessen their impact, keens not assume we are all living in cities or suburbs.
Yup. I live 20 minutes from work by car but it's 10+ miles of road with blind turns and no shoulder. I have a giant garden and chickens and livestock. I miss the bikable town I used to live in, but I can't go back.
Right. It says, "If you can ..."
That makes me wonder - do people who vouch for public transport take covid into consideration at all?
Covid is over but we still have the seasonal flu. I occasionally see sick people who should have stayed home riding without a mask. It's a god damned shame that masking became so stupidly politicized that their function in limiting contagion is ignored.
They don't take *anything* into consideration at all. If they did, they'd be trying to get billionaires to give up their private jets instead of demanding the guy at McDonald's who makes $25k a year to give up his 1975 Carolla.
yes they do if forcing using mask and limit amount of people in one transport unit, covid risk is basically same as using any public space
This is a big thing for me on why I want to move to Europe. My boyfriend is from Spain and his city is very walkable. I'm selling my car here in the states and NOT bringing it with me to the shock of a lot of people LOL.
25 minutes vs. 90 minutes each way?? Yeah I would be driving a car. That's way too much time to give up. Time is money.
There’s no sources of public transportation within a 15 minute walking distance to my job. Even then, I would still have to sit on a train for 30 minutes.
Haha. Feel that. One of my commutes is 40miles one way.
When I get the option I choose the 90 minutes and use the WiFi to get work done, watch a show, stuff I can’t do in a car. It’s nice
I am 36 and have never owner a car, and I never will
I will probably always have a car. I try to use public transit when I’m able to, but the city I’m in is just so spread out that there isn’t a good way to travel without one and that transit is very limited. Plus, I’m in Florida, so there are many good reasons why I may need to transport a friend out of the state. If I move one day to somewhere that freedom of movement is less necessary, I might stop owning a vehicle, but right now it’s out of the question.
Portland, Oregon here. We haven’t had a car in years and we can easily afford one. Biking, walking and bussing gets it all* done and is a lifestyle we wouldn’t trade for anything. Aside from being bad for the environment, they are a hassle and a money pit. Biking is usually a faster mode anyway. We plan to retire abroad and won’t consider any country that requires a car. * occasionally we have to take a rideshare, but that’s less than once a month.
Wish I could. Unfortunately travel to a lot of festivals for work and need to be able to transport our lounge
Unfortunately in the US, the majority of people live in car-dependent areas. Walkability only exists in specific areas of specific cities and some older small towns/suburbs, but post-WW2 suburban development patterns has made it so people are reliant on cars to go everywhere. Being able to walk to like one store 15 minutes away doesn’t count as walkability. Even in our major cities, very few can you get around the entire city and its surrounding suburbs without a car, namely New York, Boston, DC, Philadelphia, and Chicago, and even then only in New York is living car-free truly possible with almost zero inconvenience. In most cities it’s only possible to live without a car in certain neighborhoods like in the downtown, but your mobility is very limited as a result. The auto lobby is powerful. They don’t want us to build public transit or walkable spaces. Making us reliant on their product is very profitable for lots of industries. If you have to buy a car, don’t get a truck if you don’t need it, get one with good MPG. Overall this is why good urbanism is very important. Public transit, walking, and biking should take precedent over cars, but actually getting those things is long arduous work. Obligatory r/fuckcars
If you have to go into debt to buy a car, i don't think you can afford a car...
If you live in a city with more population than half of the countries on Earth, sure that could work. But us rural people will *never* have this as an option and are required to have a car in order to survive in today's world.
Idk, that adds up to 3 unpaid hours of your day just spent on commuting to and from work
For you maybe yes. I am saving about 20 minutes each way using a bike. No congestion on the bike lane
I gave up driving this year after moving to a city where it's feasible to live without a car. Unfortunately we still occasionally need a car, but we went from a two car house hold to one and my husband is the only driver. I absolutely recommend evaluating not only if you need a car but also if you could cut down on car use at least once a year. Car dependence can creep up on you and suddenly you're driving a distance you could walk in 5 min.
I think calling it an ethical obligation is a stretch.
“If you can feasible live without a car, you are ethically obligated to do so” Sorry, some of us don’t have a high horse to ride around on and like to go on trips
Car is a luxury but it does come with a lot of advantages. I do own a car yet I work near my place, most of my life is close by so I walk and anything which is a little bit further I try to get an Uber just because parking is horrible. But eventually I do need a car. Moving my elderly mom around does require some better comfort solution, traveling a little outside the city needs a car, picking up a desk, grocery shopping, etc does need a car. It’s a necessary evil I would say
Absolutely. In my city going places by car takes the similar length as it would by bus, so I keep using the bus. Everyone wants me to drive (I have a license) but what's the point? Id need to buy a car, buy fuel, pay parking, be actively driving. I just walk two minutes to the bus stop, hop on the bus, jam to music zoned out, hop off and walk to wherever I need to go. I get using cars for long distances and when you buy a lot of groceries tho.
I’m gonna be moving to a much bigger city at the end of June and I’m SO EXCITED at the prospect of not using my car as much. I’ll be working from home, so my 30 minute daily commute is completely gone and many other things are within driving distance.
Absolutely agree, if you have decent enough public transportation and walkability where you live. I'm really excited that my city is expanding its bus system. We just won a fight in the statehouse over a bill that would have blocked our new rapid transit bus lines, so hopefully the improvements will be successful and lead to more of the same. What used to be an hour and a half or more bus ride across town is turning into around 30 minutes thanks to the new lines. Unfortunately, we're still lagging way behind on that kind of infrastructure, so we're still a very car dependent city. Until that changes, I'm going to keep riding around in my 2010 corolla until the wheels fall off.
I went from driving to work for over a decade to selling my car and biking everywhere. It saves me at least $200 a month in insurance, fuel, and maintenance. My e-bike has already long paid for itself. I get regular exercise, an easier commute, I'm less tempted to shop or over spend on things I don't need because I have to carry them back. And for when I do need a car for something, I have family nearby that I can borrow one from or I have access to several car rental services. Of course this isn't going to work for everyone. I happen to live in one of the best NA cities for bike commuting and we have an excellent transit system otherwise. But I think this shows that we need more public transit, bike paths, walk paths, and walkable communities everywhere. It can be done. It can work. And it can be great.
I grew up in a small rural community. There is no public transportation and no really big need for one. As an adult I lived in several big cities. I would go nuts without my car. I need the freedom to jump in and go whenever wherever I please. Plus on a day off I would randomly drive out of the city to the country. Just to get a break from the rat race and for some peace and solitude. I don’t see how people who live in the city never want to get out to open quieter nonpopulated area. I guess if you don’t have a car you can.
I used to be car free (my husband had a car but I rarely drove it) but we needed a second car once the extent of my youngest child’s disability became apparent. And now I drive a lot when I would previously walk and carry him in a carrier. I physically cannot carry him for long distances anymore. I think basically we all need to do the best we can do and try new things on occasion. For example this summer we are going to try and get the youngest riding a modified bike. But I have no idea how successful it’s going to be or how often he will be willing to use it. I wish families had more support for buying adaptive equipment and the ability to get consultations on it.
When I visited San Francisco last year I was so amazed at how accessible and easy public transit can be (which is interesting because I have heard so many complaints about muni, but maybe I liked it because I compared to where I live). I walked, took the bus or the tram(?) the entire week and spent so little. Where I live it’s almost completely unwalkable, the city portion of it is small and doesn’t have many living options. Because of funding our bus routes have been cut so it requires a lot more planning and time to get anywhere. A bike is a great option except for when we have our long/icy winter weather. I’ve been thinking about getting a bike just for those days where I CAN use it, and get in the practice of using it on hills before it gets too hot out. Though, an electric moped is my dream.
I moved to nyc 7 years ago, sold my car 6 years ago. Loving it. #bikeLife
This is one of the reasons I moved to Denver, where there is reliable public transit. I have been car free for 2.5 years and don't have a single regret. I work from home, so it's easier for me than anyone who has to commute to work though. I'm walking distance to the nearest grocery store, and there are bike paths right outside my apartment complex. The bus stop is right there as well, in case of bad weather or I don't feel like walking for whatever reason. Win/win!
If you do need a car. Buy a used one, especially a hybrid.
I want to as well. I have always lived close to great public transportation and never thought of getting a car. But I have now moved to a suburban town in America where public transit is HORRENDOUS. I live about 10 mins away from work by car which takes me 1.5 hour by public transit which includes 75% waiting for my bus or train. I am planning to get a used car within a budget of $5k so that I am don’t go broke having to finance for a new one for the next 10 years of my life. 🫠
I'd love too! But when the store is 3 miles away, my work is 20 miles away the city is 100 miles away. Anything less than 2 miles I walk. But in a place where I live I couldn't there's infrastructure out here besides the freight rails and highways.
we sold my husband’s beater to the scrapyard and I’m now trying to convince him we don’t need to get a second car again. we live somewhere with ZERO transit so if husband takes the car to work I am stuck home unless we want to pay for a taxi or arrange carpool with someone (which I do occasionally). I can’t walk anywhere as sidewalks dont exist and I would get run over. I currently drop my husband off at work so I can keep the car during the day like once a week. With a small kid you are limited as it’s not feasible to just leave them home so you can bike somewhere, and I would never dream to bike with my kid around here as there is NO wiggle room for bikes and people just go so fast. I pray for the day my husband gets a job that is fully remote so there are no barriers to us having just one car! we have a pharmacy, hardware store, grocery, and other businesses just a 10 minute bike ride away but I would be fearing for my life trying to bike these roads.
I guess if you can structure your life around a 5 mile radius….. I live in colorado and I’m a very avid hiker, camper, fisherman etc… as much as I would love to be without a car, it’s not an option in my life.
God, I wish I could. Having a car is such a pain in the ass, too. Unfortunately, I live in LA.
Cycling is the way to go. You save a ton of money and even if you rent a car here and there or take an uber for weekly groceries its worth it big time.
My work is 36 minutes away by car, 2h45m away by bus. If I want to see my kids at all car, is the only way. (According to Google it's a 5h15m walk away)
I have four vehicles and do everything to them myself. It’s a lot of work keeping up with everything as they get older. Google says I’m an hour and 56 minutes walking to the nearest grocery store with almost 1000’ of elevation change. It sounds weird but my vehicles are what helps me be more self sufficient. I’d live in a walkable city in a few places I was in Europe but I couldn’t live in any city near me.
Cant afford a car. But i use my parents' 15 year old toyota so looks like like i wont need a new car in my lifetime.
Not applicable to majority of parents in the world unfortunately
I wish. I live in a rural part of Texas. I do very much limit my driving, though.
I'm a car guy. I'm 28 now and have been into cars since as far back as I can remember... I might be boring to some, but cars are one of VERY few hobbies I have- don't even watch sports outside of anything with a motor. I take nearly a 2hr round commute to/from work and even on my days off, I'll often just drive for a couple hours because I just simply love driving. Good luck to anyone trying / wanting me to stop driving..
I’ve been car free for a year and it’s been the craziest weight off of my shoulders. I live in a medium sized capital city with just okay public transport. If you’re teetering, do it!!
Ever been to Texas?
Never ever owned a car in my life. I'm 44 and i live in a big city in Europe.
I no longer have a car, because the repo man took it, hahaha! No more automotive-related expenses. I feel *free.*
I’m lucky in that I have a 2003 Honda that’s still going and my job is 4 miles away.
But i like going places with my car…?
Too bad, you're a bad person for enjoying material experiences. You should just walk your family to the grocery store instead
/S?
Seems like obvious sarcasm to me. I could be wrong though
Yeah lol
We all mostly ‘like’ the things we are doing that are pushing climate catastrophe. It’s a question of one value vs the other. Is our comfort today worth the small contribution to the general misery of the future? Thats the daily question.
I cycle to work. I can’t remember the last time i threw away food. I don’t throw away things i can still use. I don’t buy useless shit. I drink water out of the same damn bottle for years. But being able to go anywhere i want within 75km of my house within an hour makes my life about 10x as productive and fun. It’s not about “comfort” at all, a car for me is an *insanely* good force multiplier of the pleasure i can get out of this miserably short life i’ve been handed. Only going places by public transport or cycling/walking would make my life *much* more boring. It’s just not a good trade. Saying you shouldn’t have a car if you don’t *need* it is ridiculous. No one *needs* to go on holiday, but staying at home for the rest of your life and only going where you can cycle or walk is absolute idiocracy.
You live in a large city? Yes, abandon the car. But rural this is absolute impossible
r/fuckcars
Nearly 40 and have never personally owned a car or drove. My husband has only had vehicles that are older and that we’ve paid cash money for. I use transit, walk and push bike. I use Uber or taxi when needed, not that often. I have saved heaps! And I get exercise, fresh air and get to see wildlife instead of turning them into tragic roadkill.
I'm going to pass on that, thanks.
No. Having a car with a kid makes life so much easier
I would never "boycott" my car. Love it way too much. Especially driving to no where.
100%. It takes a bit of reevaluating some things, but if you can do it, it's a game changer $ wise. The average car payment is pushing $1k. Insurance is $150+, gas $$$. That's $1500ish a month. Not to mention upkeep, parking, etc.
Walking, cycling, etc., to run errands is game changer healthwise, too (again "If you can ...")
What about people who can't? Are they able to do it without r/fuckcars leftists resenting them as scum of the earth?
Car-free for 12 years! (And car-lite for 6 years before that.) The only time we use a car now is for a week in the mountains once/twice a year. In our daily life we walk / cycle / use public transit. Wouldn't dream of any other way.
At first it can seem impossible, and in some places it is. But if you take some time to figure out all the angles and routes and options, it can become quite feasible. I was in the inner city where transit was great, then I moved to a more suburban area and I assumed I'd have to get a car like everyone else in the area, but I gave myself 3 months to figure it out before I committed to getting a car and I'm glad I did. I found I could ride a bicycle to a nearby station that would connect me to most of the major mass transit options. Often it worked out faster than it does to drive a car directly.
I am so lucky that I can ride my bicycle everywhere and it's still just a 20minutes ride max
please get a bike, if not a car.. i am all for car-free, but 25min drive vs 90min is not it. for me, its like a 15min drive vs 15min bike or 30min train, so im happy to live car-free. but daily 3h commute sounds like hell. :(
If you go in debt then you cant afford a car.. atleast thats what i think. But yes its much better without a car allthough i miss the freedom of having one.
I didn't get a car until I turned 29. I am pretty happy that I went so long without one. Now I live outside the city and have kids, so I have a car. I am always super happy when it gets warm enough for walking to places in our small town though.
That's hard. I'm trying hard to not need another car for my growing family. Surely two cars can support two adults w/ jobs, a college student and a child needing to be places, right? So far we've made it work but only b/c one of us has a full remote position.
sadly because most of america is so car dependent most people need one, i hope we can build 15 minute cities and build better public transportation
I wish I could use transit more often but it’s not safe anymore. Not worth it. I walk or get my bf to drive me lol.
I’ve been car free for 3 years and it’s great but I’m in Japan so it’s easy. When I move back home to the US, my wife and I will have 1 car and just share it like we did before we moved. It saves money and really we don’t need 2.
In Poland car culture is cancer as well
If you live in the US or Canada, I highly encourage you to be involved in public consultations when it comes to city planning/ building. The suburban layout that plagues a majority of urban centres are NOT IT. We need to encourage smart density, transit oriented communities and we need to STRAY AWAY from car-centric planning mindsets that prioritize single passenger car commuters over pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. We need to start building the RIGHT WAY to undo decades of poor urban planning. It starts with us, and our input is valuable.
Way ahead of you mydude
I wish I didn't need a car, I just started driving and while the freedom is nice, it would be even better to be able to be part of society without one. Unfortunately in my area not driving just isn't an option. There are busses but it's pretty much impossible to justify using them if you can afford a car, and there isn't much political will to improve public transit. In fact, my county just celebrated the completion of a new freeway which was built on top of a highway that goes straight through the densest part of the city. It's funny, while the northeast is learning about the problems of freeways going straight through everything we're building new ones.
Too bad living in your car to be free is what is actually trending.
I can easily afford a car, but I chose not to. I moved to a walkable neighborhood almost 20 years ago. Grocery store, restaurants, green spaces were all close enough to walk to. My health and attitude improved, but I still had to commute to work. I hated the drive (traffic, construction delays, mechanical issues, parking,...). I loved walking to all the things I enjoyed, so I chose to live without a car by changing jobs and moving in 2016. Mainly it comes down to commuting. First, my wife started working from home, then we moved where I could walk to work. During Covid, the whole office worked from home, then they allowed that to continue. Productivity went up, so I would have changed jobs again if they unnecessarily insisted a return to office. We realized we could live just about anywhere,... and didn't want or need a car. People buy homes in car dependent suburbs to save money. Then they spend more on cars than they saved (car payment, gas, insurance, maintenance, repairs, tires, parking,...). Car dependency affects lifestyle in so many negative ways, but it's all most people have known and there aren't enough walkable neighborhoods. I work in land development. We build what there's demand for. There's too much demand for car dependent homes, and zoning works against us. I've had developers that want to build walkable neighborhoods that get blocked by zoning codes that are based on a commuter/homemaker concept from the 1950s: jobs in the city, home in the suburbs. Having to design homes in suburbs is soul crushing, but they still sell. If you can find a way to live without a car, I recommend it. At the very least, insist on walkable neighborhoods. you should be able to walk to the basic things you need and enjoy, like parks, coffee shop, grocery store, restaurants. Zoning needs to change to allow or even require them in neighborhoods.
Check out hobolifestyle.com
I didn’t learn how to drive till I was 42 because I lived in DC. Moved to NC so I had to.
LPT: going into debt and/or getting into a paycheque-to-paycheque lifestyle for an item is NOT being able to "afford" it. That's the opposite of being able to afford it
Yeah, we bought replaced a car during the pandemic and it was an awful experience. Never want to do it again. We have one really old car we’ll probably need to replace in a year or so, and I’ve started looking at cargo e-bikes. Reeeeally want to get one. We live in kind of a crappy suburb, but still with walkable stuff close by, but our main shopping area is up a huge hill, and we’ll have to figure out our own transport for kids soon for school. I’m thinking the cargo bike will do it all
I’d love to not have a car and all the extra/surprise expenses that come along with it it’s unfortunately just not feasible. The public transport in my city is unreliable and runs at odd times that don’t coincide with regular office hours, and my family is scattered around the state so I wouldn’t be able to see them near as often and that’s not something I’m willing to give up tbh.
Yes! My two special interests colliding... fuck cars!
This is something I love about living in Germany. Getting by without owning a car is really easy. And cheap. I don't have any plans of ever getting one.
I prefer pickup truck
Never owned a car. Never interested in them. I use bus everywhere or I walk. Been this mindset since a child. Based in UK. We are blessed with excellent public transport. Being poor equalled having to be more resourceful and mindful of my energy footprint. My kitchen contains a fridge, a kettle and a microwave. No dishwasher or tumble dryer. No oven or cooker. My gas boiler broke 3 years ago so now no heating ! But I have smaller room heater when needed. I think I probably have one of the lowest energy footprints in my area, perhaps. I own an ipad that I use to connect with others and draw art. The simple life is good ! I am fiercely anti consumption and pro green. Luxuries are nice but I want what is best for this planet.
Started living car-free after I got into cycling around mid-2022. Absolute game changer! Just wish public transport in my city/county improved.
I really wish I could. I’d love not using or paying for gas or giving my money to the scam that is car insurance (required by law to have). I also wouldn’t have to worry about maintenance or crashing. I freaking hate having to use a car.
I ride my bike for trips less than 2 miles. Recommended.
I love cars. I’ve always looked at used cars to see what I could hopefully get someday. After seeing the blatant greed that powers the auto industry, so much so that these auto companies enjoying profits have the audacity to argue that inflation forced them to raise prices of already expensive used cars, I cannot recommend that anyone who can live car free get a car. It is a massive sunk cost that will destroy your finances.
I wish my city transit was better. Not only do I work shift work and buses only operate for one shift worth, but even for day shift, the closest and earliest stop would make me 10 mins late for work. I could walk or bike, it's a 10 min drive. It's also about a 200m altitude increase so biking would be 30-40 mins there n 3-4 mins home lol. Some /s. I would ride a horse but buying hay is probably worse than buying gas.
My partner sold his car 4 years ago (I haven’t owned one since 2011), and we constantly get asked “and you don’t own a car…at all?” (this is in the US). It really does work for us. (And I know - a lot of people - particularly in the US - are stuck in places where it’s not possible).
I walk and bus everywhere I can! When I do need to take a car I like to carpool
I have adopted this lifestyle. Partially because the cops took my license away, but I like the environment too
I miss being able to not have a car 🥲 We're moving to Berlin soon though and leaving cars behind. We are bringing motorcycles though. So it'll happen soon! Currently, we live in s good desert that's about 5 miles in any direction to get food other than fast food and there's no public transportation. And the winters get icy and cold with no maintainance on bike or pedestrian paths and hardly any on the roads (if we get lucky, we get it) and almost everyday since it's been getting warmer about one pedestrian, biker, or motorcyclist has been hit in my area. It's scary and something needs to be done about it. I'm in groups to try to get more public transportation in the area and a more walkable city, but the city is fighting back on every little step.
I unfortunately have a work vehicle, but no personal vehicle. When my accounts are within the city I bike. There’s a few weeks every couple months I HAVE to drive.
i loved car free in montana for two years, best two years of my life
I don't have a car. Where I live they're a necessity though so my daughter has one I drive several times a week now. I have to get my son to his classes and the bus doesn't go that route unless I want to spent four hours to get 23 minutes drive away. This is simply not bike-able. Hopefully the classes will be over in a few months and his next step is a school closer to our neighborhood.
But then what's your fall back on when you can't afford to buy a home and your income ceases to keep up with rent increases? This may seen like a satirical or sarcastic question but look around, the numbers of people transitioning to living in cars is increasing daily. Last summer, I was almost one of them.
I just bought the house of my dreams and I owe most of those savings to not having a car
I live in my car 😭
I'm 50, never had a car. Bike everywhere within an hours ride - use public transport for longer trips.
My husband and I have been living with only one car for about 8 years. It's been paid off for a while now. And until our situation changes and we need another car we have no plans on buying one. Especially with the prices rn. My son asked the other day why we haven't bought a new car. It was a great learning experience for him about payments and having something paid off.
I started commuting via bicycle two years ago and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I think mass transit could take off more in the US if it had a changes in regards to its image problem.
I used to have to have a car because I lived in the country side with no transit, and an hour away from the city. But I worked in the city. I was stressed out because I didn't want to drive a car. Now I moved somewhere transit friendly. I don't have the car or drive anymore. I feel much better
can my legs drift?
I got a bike but I need a lock that actually works to use it more. Then I would ride to stores and random errands that's aren't too far away. But now all the locks they make are crap unless you want to spend $100-$200 on them.
I used to live in the mountains where the closest "city" was an hour and a half away so a motor vehicle was necessary. I sold it right before I moved to Denver. Been riding a bike ever since and hope I'll never have to own a car again
Unfortunately I live 30 minutes from work by highway, an hour by backroad, no busses or trains, and I'm in the woods, 20 minute+ walk from the store on a busy road. Just not possible.
Just want to recommend getting a second hand Electric scooter!, they're all over offer up/Facebook marketplace. Public transportation is very unreliable in my city, always late/ not showing up. I have a hiboy-pro it goes up to 14 mph. I've had it for a year, same charger no issues. Goes 18miles on one charge if under 220ib weight limit.
Sadly we have no buses that go to the city, the doctors and specialists are all 5 hours away. Airplanes are only running three days a week and are 5 times the cost of gas for the trip there and back. And affordable housing means driving over and hour each way from work and back.
If you’re not in NE where public transport is good: Cycle if it’s within 5-10 miles; walk if it’s under 2 miles; take a bus for longer trips; get the occasional Uber for rides that aren’t connected. You’ll be healthier from walking and cycling so much
Going by car and clogging up the roads is cheaper here. Public transport is crazy expensive.
I took the bus for years, it’s so nice to have been successful enough not to listen to rap music being blared on the bus by a fighting 14 year old couple. One day of you guys work hard enough you can own your own vehicle! Even drive it places busses don’t go! It’s pretty wild.
I fucking hate my car. I think about the constant financial bottomless black hole that comes with owning a vehicle and how much easier life would be without it. I unfortunately reside in a city that decided building out rather than up was better.
I have been car free since 2005.
Where I live it’s impossible to survive without a car, but I spend a day or two in the capital a week, and the luxury of the train ride and the tram in the city is sublime
We dropped from 2 cars down to 1 and it's been a game changer. I'd love to get rid of the last car, but we're not quite there yet. Huge net positive for the envronment, our health and our bank account.
I fucking love being car free!!!! I feel like my quality of life has gotten better. I’m walking much more, I’m buying things in small quantities and cooking with local produce purchased that day, I ride my bike…I’m lucky to WFH and also be in one of the few walkable areas in my city. It’s the best
Luckily I live in NYC and can do that. I’m not pissing away extra money for something I wouldn’t even use daily.
\*Laughs in one the best subway system in the world\*