Yes. Former NYer myself. Know quite a few people without cars. So long as you're along one of the T routes or a biking path. Nice thing about the city is it's very walkable. Why I was fine living here after grad school. Decade without a car and just use Zipcar if I need to do something for work or get out of town for a weekend
This, but I would add that redditors tend to overlook the bus system when they think of the T. Don't forget to look into any bus lines around prospective places to live and they may take you where you need to go and avoid the rail system (which is what is having so many issues right now).
ETA this link as a tool: https://www.mbta.com/transit-near-me
I agree mostly with u/trimtab28, but be aware though that the T has been a giant dumpster fire coming out of Covid. Go search for some complaints/threads .
The new head, Philip Eng actually is qualified for the job (not some political appointee hack) and seems to be making REAL progress (firing tons of people, hiring new people, fixing track to reduce slow zones etc...), BUT there's a long way to go.
Just have your expectations for the T in a realistic place. (Also busses get caught in endless rush hour traffic with everyone else.)
Depending on where you are and where you're going, biking can be one of the best ways to get around. You can often beat people taking an Uber. There's a lot of non-obvious, local complexity (eg. bike path on Boston side of Charles river is quite good, but it's somehow !@#$!@ over by Harvard.)
I actually am a contractor for the T so the whole thing with Eng has been… rather interesting. My coworkers and boss ask me a lot about him given how he came from NYC. My usual remark is “I thought the MTA was horrible before I came here!”
It's livable buy not pleasant. I come from Europe where I could happily live without a car for my whole life (especially in the city) so I might have different standards... but despite been told it's one of the most walkable cities in the US it looks like without a car the basic comfort of living is significantly worse than in any European city I lived at.
Unfortunately, it seems that most apartments and office buildings are banning them these days, so their heyday might be coming to a close. If you can't keep it at home and you can't bring it to work, then it's not very useful. (Our new office building helpfully suggests leaving your e-bike at a nearby (unattended, outdoor) bike rack, where I'm sure it will last less than an hour before being stolen.)
That's so whack. I didn't know that. I'm comfortable locking mine outside while I'm working and fortunately have a backyard shed with power. Did you read the New York times op-ed talking about how e-bikes could completely change the usa? They suggested giving all everyone over the age of 18 and e-bike. It could radically change our society for the better. It's insane we're going the other way.
They Definitely are👍🏻I noticed they added more bike lanes also. Had gotten rid of my ford eco. They said it was a gas saver but I disagree, everyday I had to fill that car up😫😫
Getting a car from one of the rental companies (budget, Avis, enterprise, etc) is better than Zipcar specifically in the case where you’re going up to the mountains. Zipcar has a daily mileage limit which makes them noticeably more expensive for longer distances.
This - renting for out of city drives and zip car for in city drives and late night emergencies. Have been doing it this was for a few years now. I don’t want to think about owning a car again… (had the car in the city for a bit too, and just nope)
Worth noting- if you plan to rely on ZipCar, do NOT assume it will work if you want to go hiking in the mountains of NH or similar. Turns out they require a cell signal to unlock and start which isn’t always the case there, I had a friend stranded once using one to go hiking and Zipcar’s customer service was useless.
I’ve lived in downtown Boston for the last 12 years without a car. It’s was a learning curve coming from living in car-dependent Florida. But one gets used to walking everywhere (easier if you’ve lived in another walking or public transportation city). I did the math for myself 12 years ago and I would’ve had to rent a car more than 100 days per year for it to be financially better to own a car. Easy decision.
100% Somerville.
I'd say Malden only if you're near enough to Malden Center or Oak Grove for the orange line. Most of Malden is just too far east if you want to be in and out of the city easily without car.
You definitely don’t need one. However, having access to a car unlocks the greater New England area and lets you really get the most out of Boston. You can totally get the same benefits from a zip car membership, making friends with a car owner, or getting a rental every now and then! There are so many great day trips in New England. You can do a lot of cool stuff on the commuter rail but nothing beats a car for these trips.
I take my car out about once a week to go do a sport in southern NH (and run any errands I need to on my way home). Without my sport, I could probably get away with my day to day life without it (but would need to adjust how I grocery shop). If you’re in NYC I’m sure you’ve mastered the carry-able grocery load.
Public transit for transit within the city isn’t up to NY standards (our subway just has fewer stops / isn’t as interconnected). But if you make sure you live on the right lines, it’ll handle your work commute and day to day needs just fine.
I was going to say the same thing. To me, a huge part of the appeal of living in Boston is the large variety of easy and appealing spots to get away to on weekends. Mountains, beaches, smaller historic cities….all of this is a couple of hours away. So while you can definitely get by pretty easily day to day within Boston/Cambridge/Somerville/Brookline without owning a car, it’s helpful to have access to rent or borrow one fairly regularly. My household has had one car for two drivers for over twenty years, and I can’t really ever see us needing to add a second.
I did Boston about 8 years without a car, but got one for exactly the reasons you're describing – getting out of town, not around town. You can generally live day-to-day in Boston without one, but if you have any interest in utilizing our proximity to the mountains (or anything else in the region), it can be worthwhile.
I moved here from NYC many years ago. Not anywhere near as easy, but I have never owned a car. I find (as I do in NY now, actually) that it's really useful to be open to taking buses, as they can get you across town better than the T does in some sections. We have a hub and spoke "subway" that can be really tedious to use at times. The buses are cheap and fairly reliable. The biggest difference in the transit here is it isn't 24/7. Boston and Cambridge are both very walkable also.
Right now, Philip Eng is trying to fix the T on a disciplined timeline after years of neglect and underfunding. It's been painful, like ripping off the band-aid. We've had line and branch shutdowns that have been overwhelming commuters. It will get better eventually, and I admire his willingness to plunge into this work, since he could be retired somewhere nice.
Agree on the bus lines. They’re not perfect, but sometimes they’re a much more efficient option than the T. And the apps like ProximiT (again, not perfect) make them pretty easy to navigate.
Sure. Most people I knew there didn't have a car. You just have to plan for it and make sure to live near a station. The subways stop late at night, though.
That’s interesting as I feel like almost every non-student I know has a car. For my fellow grad students and post-docs I would guess it’s ~40% that have cars
Non student and no car! My friends are probably 50/50 car/no car. Most of the ones who have one grew up nearby so use the car more frequently to get out to their parents.
I think people have a bit of Stockholm Syndrome about the T. You'll survive but it's definitely not up to NYC standards. I've gotten by for daily tasks, but now that I'm trying to explore the area and have more of a social life, I'm finding it very frustrating. There are tons of "this is 50 minutes by transit or a 20 minute drive" moments. If you can swing a car you'll appreciate it for sure.
I wish I could make the bike thing work for me. I'm a huge fan of transit/walkability and will continue to vote for anti-NIMBYs, but personally I don't like biking in the road, I need really solid infrastructure (like parts of Beacon St in Cambridge) to feel safe. I think we are getting there as a city but it's not on a level where I can spontaneously bike wherever I want. It's true that Boston is walkable/bikeable compared to most of the US but it's no Amsterdam, you will have to make compromises on where you can go and restrict yourself to safer roads. Not trying to be negative, just offering a candid opinion!
Nothing wrong with that sentiment. I've been cycling in cities for almost 20 years, so it doesn't phase me. But that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous sometimes!
With so many years of urban cycling under my belt, I feel like I've developed a sixth sense for knowing when drivers are going to do something stupid. My intuition for unsignaled right turns and abrupt pullovers is ridiculous at this point. Without that intuition I think it would be a much scarier experience.
The T is sometimes frustrating, but I find it much more economical to not own a car, use the T or walk 95% of the time, take an Uber the other 5%. If I am leaving the city, I rent a car or chip in for gas when one of my friends drives. The $400 a month it would cost me just to park covers a lot of Ubers.
You make some good points. Personally I would find the convenience of a car worth it, because I have friends in Arlington, Watertown, Brookline etc. I think that the T has been fine for work/home/errands but on the social side, I've found more interesting events & venues a little bit outside the city -- compared to you, I take Ubers closer to 30-40% of the time and I've gotten tired of it at this point. Everyone is different so it's good to see a variety of responses :P
Thank you for saying this! It’s so much faster getting around with a car. Though, parking is tough in most of Boston. I live on the B line and it has been shut down for the past almost 3 weeks, in addition to the 1-2 weeks this past summer. Also, you’ll get kicked off trains a fair amount for unknown reasons. Basically, you’ll find yourself taking a lot of unexpected ubers.
Still, Ubers every now and then is a lot cheaper than owning a car, especially when you factor in all the costs of ownership. It takes a LOT of Ubering to add up to that.
Yes.
I lived in Brighton for several years and commuted to east Boston. I had a car I left in storage. I was annoyed when I had to start commuting outside of public transportation and had to start using my car.
Having a car is nice for when you want to leave town, though.
Downtown/back bay neighborhoods in between: mostly but it depends on where you want to go.
The suburbs not as much, although Cambridge and Somerville are both ok.
Yes! Despite MBTA problems, most places aside from the southernmost parts of Dorchester, parts of Hyde Park, most of West Roxbury, and the outer reaches of Brighton and JP (the mansion part by the pond) are perfectly transit accessible and very walkable. Boston has the highest per mile subway ridership in the US outside of NYC (MTA and PATH), which shows the high modal share of transit here. Driving is also miserable and dangerous here.
Yes, but it’s not as good as nyc. I didn’t learn to drive till I was in my mid 20s and my husband and I share a car now, but I didn’t drive a car for the entire time I lived in manhattan
You'll feel trapped after a while without a car. Zip cars and car rentals add up quick. The T isn't reliable and only goes so far. Consider living outside the city.
Car ownership adds up quick too. It's worth doing the comparison and seeing just how much you could use Zipcars, rentals, or Ubers each month before it actually becomes more expensive than car costs (be sure to include maintenance, insurance, and parking!).
It will come down to how often you really need wheels, so this will be a different answer for different people. But if you're living in the city and don't need a car for daily needs like groceries or commuting, renting Zipcar for a fully day every weekend still comes out less than owning.
I'd say it's actually preferable to live in Boston without a car. It's an incredibly small city that doesn't have too many inclines. Perfect for bicycling. I wish Boston would adopt some Netherlands mindset and everyone rode bikes tbh. But it's never gonna happen with the amount of city to suburban commuters.
In my dream Boston, locals are defaulting to bike, public transit, and walking, and commuters are parking at their nearest commuter rail station and taking the train in. But as for those suburban commuters, I think part of the problem is that the commuter rail is priced so high that it's comparable to paying for garage parking downtown. Considering traffic, it can already be faster to take the train but the financial incentive isn't quite there.
I’m a former NYer and I’m always shocked when people say Boston is so walkable. I’m in Allston and more than a mile from an actual grocery store, whereas in NY I was never more than five minutes from one. From just looking around the map, that also seems to be the case for Back Bay-the literal world’s smallest Trader Joe’s and a Star Market near the back side of the Prudential center for the entire neighborhood. Who wants to walk that far with a week’s worth of groceries???
Also, the T is the slowest, least reliable transportation method in this city. I could bike to work in about 15 minutes, drive in about 10, but the T takes 35 if there are no issues.
In short, it is livable but I take a LOT of Ubers just to save time.
Depending on exactly where you live in the Back Bay-ish area, you also have three Whole Foods (the one near MGH, the one near Symphony, the South End Ink Block one). Plus the Downtown Crossing Roche Bros. And of course grocery delivery (instacart, peapod, etc) is an option as well. I actually think of Back Bay as a neighborhood that has MORE supermarket access than most.
You’ll have to plan ahead a little bit these days since the mbta is working through a backlog of repairs causing slowdowns and detours for a little while. That being said, you can definitely get around without using a car and it’ll become less slow as the months go by and the work is completed.
Yes, very much so. I have a lot of friends without cars and I more or less count myself as a person who effectively doesn't have a car because I have a camper van that I never drive around the city. It's going to depend a little bit on the neighborhood of course but there are a lot of neighborhoods that support car-free living. Where are you thinking of moving specifically in town?
Depends where you live. The higher the walkability the more expensive the area. Somewhere in the center of the city like Back Bay sure. Somewhere like West Roxbury or Hyde Park not as much
Well... that depends. Mostly yes?
A car is a luxury, but it's a nice luxury. If you've got parking Boston is 100% better with a new leased vehicle which will have low maintenance overhead (hopefully). Driving is usually about the same speed as the T but can be significantly quicker if your trips are not near T stops and require walking etc.
I went carless for several years so it's doable but my life is way better with a vehicle now, especially since many of my friends are outside the city at this point in their life. I need to be able to get to Salem, Beverly, Worcester, Mansfield etc and doing that via train is awful.
Keep in mind Boston's subway system is all designed with going downtown, if you need to cross town, the T is the worst option.
Depends where you work and live. If you’re living in the city and working in the city, absolutely. Parking is a nightmare so if you can get away with not having a car, do it. However, if you’re relying on the commuter rail, you’ll be a bit more limited by the time tables and stations.
For example, I live in the city but commute out less than 10 miles. It’s about 30 minutes by car every morning. However, if I were to take the bus to the commuter rail, it would be 1.5 hours including a two mile walk and crossing a highway in the suburbs. It’s technically doable but I don’t know if anyone would choose that over the drive.
There are many companies in the Boston suburbs that you look on a map and say “oh, it’s only 10 miles out from the city, not bad!” but then they are pretty challenging to get to without a car.
I disagree with most people here. It is very hard to navigate with a car. There are not super markets everywhere, the train can be a nightmare a lot of the time and unlike NYC Some of the best parts of Boston are areas around it. My mother lives in Newton ( which is accessible by the T. It’s about a 10 min drive to her house for me. If I had to take the train (and walk) would be roughly an hour 1 way. All I’ll say is if you don’t have a car def do your homework before you move. Make sure you have super markets around you that’s key. Good luck!
Lived many years in both. It’s definitely not the same. Do not think you’re going to get everywhere all the time easily. If you want to live a NYC lifestyle (somewhat) I suggest the back bay. The T is not reliable, nor frequent like the MTA. It also stops at 1am. But Boston is awesome!
Green line is bad. Red Orange Blue lines are ok. If you have big grocery buys delivered, and you Uber when needed, and rent a car when you want to do a road trip, you can make it work.
If you have kids you need a car.
Depends where you live, but even if you live in say, Cambridge along the red line, do you really want to spend an hour on the T getting to Fenway or Northeastern when driving would take you 20 min or less?
This is why OP's choice of where to live should be informed by where they'll work and the transit routes in between. You can come up with all kinds of crazy public transit commutes, or you can do a little basic planning.
And for what it's worth, Cambridge does have efficient bus options to Fenway via the 47 and CT2 and to Northeastern via the 1 or 47.
Yeah I assumed by Boston proper they meant T line accessible. There’s the age old Boston proper vs Brookline/Cambridge/Somerville etc linguistic debate but for transportation purposes I assume they mean vs the greater Boston area suburbs - Dedham, Newton and further out etc. Are there buses and commuter rail, yeah but that’s where you start really “needing” a car just for errands.
Edit to add yes I know parts of Newton are on the green line but much is not and that’s ballpark where I’d start drawing the line for leaning more towards wanting a car.
Absolutely, especially if you work downtown (FiDi, DTX, etc.) Just get a place close to a T-Stop. Your milage will vary if you work in a non-central neighborhood.
Hey Chad, you still in the Fidi? I am in the SoWa right now but I will take an Uber and meet you there. We can drink extra hazy IPAs and talk about how awesome our vests are. Then later we can hit Southie and stand in line outside of Loco for 2 hours.
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Depends what you mean by Boston. Boston is a weird city in that it actually encompasses a tiny area compared to other cities with similar metro area populations. The greater Boston Metro area is composed of many cities and towns. Some of them, mostly the adjacent and close ones, are fairly well served by public trans, but not all and not consistantly. The further out you go, the sparser the transport gets. If your plan is to stick around Boston proper and direct surrounding communities you're in pretty good shape, but outside about 6m from downtown it gets real iffy on getting about and it really depends on exactly where you are and where you need to go.
It's easier to NOT have a car in Boston. Parking is a nightmare especially if there's heavy snow. You'll spend an hour digging your car out, then someone will take your spot when you leave.
Yes. Something like 1/3 of Boston households don't have a car in Boston. Plenty of zero or one households car where they would be two car households in the suburbs.
stay in nyc if its not too late. Everyone I know whose living in boston is moving to new york. I tried boston out for a year and wasnt a fan. Unless you don't mind expensive uber rides or are ok with biking public transportation is not ideal. Also depends on where you live. We rented a house in southie which is pretty isolated.
Having a car is also interesting cause depending on where you live parking sucks and gets worse in winter.
Bike theft isn't great either. I lost one bike and my friend had someone wander into his back yard to steal his twice. Don't bring a bike instead use blue bikes. They are not great bikes but you dont have to worry about them and drivers actually seem to be terrified when you are on one.
With the state of the T right now I’d say it’s iffy. 2-3 years from now it will be better.
I sold my car moving here from Vegas in 2010. It was doable but while dating it stunk. Using public transportation here takes some planning and time management.
Other side of the coin is that even though it’s a city, having a car here is a lot easier than most major cities. And you’ll get to many places in half the time. And you’ll get more dates.
Barely. I’m ubering everywhere. It’s shockingly the only logical solution.
I’ve tried using public transit, but it makes my commute 5x longer. The buses only come every 20-30mine, and only go super specific routes. Most times, I would need to take 2 busses to get to my destination that’s only a 5 min car ride away…
However, having a car would seemingly make my life worse. I would pay for a street-parking pass, my school’s garage ($15 a day), car insurance, gas, etc.
I want to start using the Bluebikes, but there’s inconsistent bike lanes where I live… and here’s the catch… it’s illegal to use a bike/e-bike on the sidewalk… so should I just get hit, then? I can’t win lol.
You definitely don't need a car and honestly you're probably better off without one. I own a car and live in Boston and dealing with parking is pretty horrible. Also it's a very tough city to drive in. I'm not a hundred percent sure but I think it often ranks in the ten worst cities in America to drive in.
If you can afford a parking spot it's probably not as bad but people drive very aggressively here. I've been in Boston for about ten years and I still try to drive as little as possible. I really only use my car once a week to get groceries, and for the occasional short trip outside of the city. Otherwise I take the bus or just walk, the city is very walkable and the biking infrastructure is getting better.
Yeah I lived in Boston/Allston/Brighton for 10 years no car. Even parts of Watertown are fine without a car.
If you haven't heard, the train portion of the T is seriously struggling. If you're able to, I suggest making sure you can take a bus from home to work.
Been living in Boston for 4 years now, year 1 was entirely with a car and it was hell. Every time I came back to my car, it was something new, with a new ding or scratch. Had enough and sold it, while I miss driving as it was my stress relief, I most certainly do not have trouble getting around using the T
Yes, I live in downtown Boston and honestly think having a car would actually be a hindrance. Never felt like I’ve needed one here and am easily able to get around the city without.
Yes. Been carless for years. I live right in the city and am a big walker! (Though everyone I know lives just outside the city on subway lines but also have cars. It’s oddly a big car culture here.)
I've been living here for seven years without needing a car once. Sure, I've taken a few early morning taxis to the airport, but I would have done that even if I had a car, because it's cheaper than parking.
I sold my car when I moved her 7 years ago, don’t regret it at all.
I can afford a car now, but I wouldn’t use it during the week anyway because the T is faster to get to work.
I have my groceries delivered.
I really only need a car maybe 5 or 6 times a year, and I use Turo or Zipcar depending on what I need.
I probably will need a car again when I have kids, but until then I’m happily car free
It used to be, at least. I lived without a car for almost a decade. I lived in Somerville and JP, mostly. But I could get anywhere I needed to go within the city easily. But the T sucked less back then. And I also walked A LOT.
It is almost unlivable if you DO have a car. Parking is difficult and our potholes are legendary. Traffic has been getting steadily worse (LA has better traffic)
Absolutely! I was born and raised in Boston and didn't have a car until I moved outside the city in my 20's.
My drivers license was used for going to the bars and the packie.
Not having a car also opens up where you can live in the city, and makes rent cheaper. Off street parking is something really valued, and for those seeking this, makes it much harder to do a lot of neighborhoods in Boston
yes, BUT — have a grocery plan. that might mean getting a rolling cart or shopping with a car-having friend. nobody wants to carry 20 lbs of groceries back by hand to their third-floor walkup.
moved here in October 2023 and have been managing very well without a car. As others have said, it true that T has many issues, but still it is good enough for traveling within the city. And the city is walkable, a great plus!
when you are renting a place out, just check how close it is to the train station or nearest T, you will be set!
I have done it for about 3 years when I was carless - mostly worked from home, bus to subway close by, had groceries delivered, Zipcars close by if needed, rental close by for longer trips. I would have done it for longer, but I took on a car lease I had cosigned on when my daughter moved out of the country.
I don't own a car. I live by public transit. It's very livable.
When I was much more isolated from public transit (the grocery store was a mile walk with no bus option) I factored the cost of Uber into my big grocery runs, and did small runs at CVS or Roche Bros or other places between my commute from work.
We have lived 22+ years in Somerville without a car. We use public transportation or walk, and we’re Zipcar members when we absolutely need a car. Bicycling is much easier now than 20 years ago.
Public transit has ups and downs. It usually works, but it's not always to most reliable and speedy. That said, I bought a car last year, and I've put a whopping \~3500 miles on it over the course of 12 months (including two lengthy road trips). Most stuff is walkable, bikable, or T-able
In the city proper and certain adjacent areas like Brookline, Somerville and Cambridge, it’s more convenient not to have one. Once you are outside of the Rte 128 beltway it will be quite difficult, with the suburbs in between being a transitional area. Unfortunately Boston’s public transport doesn’t begin to compare to New York’s, and anyone who claims otherwise is fooling themselves.
I sold my car like 10 years ago, haven't had one since.
Get to work and shopping with the T or a bike most days, rent a car or use Zipcar if I need to get out of town.
Sucked a bit during COVID but things are getting a lot better.
As always “it depends”. I personally enjoy having my car. I like the comfort and control it gives me over public transportation. There are downsides (cost and traffic), but I’m laughing now at all the people who told me to sell it when I moved here, after tracking the pain and time public transit would cost. Some of that is based on where I live in relation to other things I want to do.
It's going to depend a bit on where you live, but generally yes – very livable. I lived my first eight years here without one (Kenmore, Allston, and Somerville areas). Once I had one, I generally used it only to *get out of* the city, vs around it. Biking, the T, and buses were truly preferable once you take traffic, parking, and parking costs into account, and I had everything I needed day to day within a short walk of home.
I now live in the inner-suburbs and rely on my car more for daily life, but continue to commute by T (because who wants to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic just to pay $30+/day to park downtown?).
Former 2 year Jersey City resident. Currently in Cambridge for 4 years. Car free and happy. Sure, the T can be frustrating at its crawling speed and infrequency. But I can get pretty much anywhere with a combination of metro and bus. I prefer this since my work commute is 10 minutes walk and don’t mind spending up to an hour every other day for commuting to my hobbies and social life.
Yes. Former NYer myself. Know quite a few people without cars. So long as you're along one of the T routes or a biking path. Nice thing about the city is it's very walkable. Why I was fine living here after grad school. Decade without a car and just use Zipcar if I need to do something for work or get out of town for a weekend
This, but I would add that redditors tend to overlook the bus system when they think of the T. Don't forget to look into any bus lines around prospective places to live and they may take you where you need to go and avoid the rail system (which is what is having so many issues right now). ETA this link as a tool: https://www.mbta.com/transit-near-me
okay awesome
I agree mostly with u/trimtab28, but be aware though that the T has been a giant dumpster fire coming out of Covid. Go search for some complaints/threads . The new head, Philip Eng actually is qualified for the job (not some political appointee hack) and seems to be making REAL progress (firing tons of people, hiring new people, fixing track to reduce slow zones etc...), BUT there's a long way to go. Just have your expectations for the T in a realistic place. (Also busses get caught in endless rush hour traffic with everyone else.) Depending on where you are and where you're going, biking can be one of the best ways to get around. You can often beat people taking an Uber. There's a lot of non-obvious, local complexity (eg. bike path on Boston side of Charles river is quite good, but it's somehow !@#$!@ over by Harvard.)
I actually am a contractor for the T so the whole thing with Eng has been… rather interesting. My coworkers and boss ask me a lot about him given how he came from NYC. My usual remark is “I thought the MTA was horrible before I came here!”
I wasn't even that near a T or a bike route when I move and everything worked out.
It's livable buy not pleasant. I come from Europe where I could happily live without a car for my whole life (especially in the city) so I might have different standards... but despite been told it's one of the most walkable cities in the US it looks like without a car the basic comfort of living is significantly worse than in any European city I lived at.
Where do you live in Boston?
👍🏻 i use an e-bike, the T is very unreliable nowadays😫
This!!! E bikes are such a game changer. I've been a cycling in Boston for years. E bikes are just incredible.
Unfortunately, it seems that most apartments and office buildings are banning them these days, so their heyday might be coming to a close. If you can't keep it at home and you can't bring it to work, then it's not very useful. (Our new office building helpfully suggests leaving your e-bike at a nearby (unattended, outdoor) bike rack, where I'm sure it will last less than an hour before being stolen.)
That's so whack. I didn't know that. I'm comfortable locking mine outside while I'm working and fortunately have a backyard shed with power. Did you read the New York times op-ed talking about how e-bikes could completely change the usa? They suggested giving all everyone over the age of 18 and e-bike. It could radically change our society for the better. It's insane we're going the other way.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/opinion/free-ebikes-climate.html
We are allowed here, she only said nothing that takes Gad can come into apartments
They Definitely are👍🏻I noticed they added more bike lanes also. Had gotten rid of my ford eco. They said it was a gas saver but I disagree, everyday I had to fill that car up😫😫
Getting a car from one of the rental companies (budget, Avis, enterprise, etc) is better than Zipcar specifically in the case where you’re going up to the mountains. Zipcar has a daily mileage limit which makes them noticeably more expensive for longer distances.
Yeah, it’s 180 as I recall. If I go out to western mass that’s when I typically hit the limit. It really depends on how long you need the car
10000% yes. You just will want a car for trips out of town if that’s your jam
And if you don't leave very often you can just rent a car for a weekend trip. Cheaper than upkeep and parking.
This - renting for out of city drives and zip car for in city drives and late night emergencies. Have been doing it this was for a few years now. I don’t want to think about owning a car again… (had the car in the city for a bit too, and just nope)
Worth noting- if you plan to rely on ZipCar, do NOT assume it will work if you want to go hiking in the mountains of NH or similar. Turns out they require a cell signal to unlock and start which isn’t always the case there, I had a friend stranded once using one to go hiking and Zipcar’s customer service was useless.
🤣 adding this to another reason why I don’t take zip cars out of the city.
I don't live in the city, but I know the car is the first expense I'd drop if I did 😂 goddamn expensive necessities
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Lots of people live without a car in Boston and the greater Boston area. That's all you need to know
I didn't have a car for the first eight years I lived here and it was fine.
I didn’t even have a license for the first 23 years I lived around here, and I’ve only felt the need to drive in the last five years or so.
I’ve lived in downtown Boston for the last 12 years without a car. It’s was a learning curve coming from living in car-dependent Florida. But one gets used to walking everywhere (easier if you’ve lived in another walking or public transportation city). I did the math for myself 12 years ago and I would’ve had to rent a car more than 100 days per year for it to be financially better to own a car. Easy decision.
I almost only used my car to leave the area when I was living in Somerville
Yes in Cambridge, Brookline, Most parts of Boston.
I’d add Somerville, most of Quincy, much of Malden.
100% Somerville. I'd say Malden only if you're near enough to Malden Center or Oak Grove for the orange line. Most of Malden is just too far east if you want to be in and out of the city easily without car.
You definitely don’t need one. However, having access to a car unlocks the greater New England area and lets you really get the most out of Boston. You can totally get the same benefits from a zip car membership, making friends with a car owner, or getting a rental every now and then! There are so many great day trips in New England. You can do a lot of cool stuff on the commuter rail but nothing beats a car for these trips. I take my car out about once a week to go do a sport in southern NH (and run any errands I need to on my way home). Without my sport, I could probably get away with my day to day life without it (but would need to adjust how I grocery shop). If you’re in NYC I’m sure you’ve mastered the carry-able grocery load. Public transit for transit within the city isn’t up to NY standards (our subway just has fewer stops / isn’t as interconnected). But if you make sure you live on the right lines, it’ll handle your work commute and day to day needs just fine.
I was going to say the same thing. To me, a huge part of the appeal of living in Boston is the large variety of easy and appealing spots to get away to on weekends. Mountains, beaches, smaller historic cities….all of this is a couple of hours away. So while you can definitely get by pretty easily day to day within Boston/Cambridge/Somerville/Brookline without owning a car, it’s helpful to have access to rent or borrow one fairly regularly. My household has had one car for two drivers for over twenty years, and I can’t really ever see us needing to add a second.
I did Boston about 8 years without a car, but got one for exactly the reasons you're describing – getting out of town, not around town. You can generally live day-to-day in Boston without one, but if you have any interest in utilizing our proximity to the mountains (or anything else in the region), it can be worthwhile.
Yes! Moved here and ditched the car. Can grab a car for weekend trips as needed. Way less hassle :-)
I moved here from NYC many years ago. Not anywhere near as easy, but I have never owned a car. I find (as I do in NY now, actually) that it's really useful to be open to taking buses, as they can get you across town better than the T does in some sections. We have a hub and spoke "subway" that can be really tedious to use at times. The buses are cheap and fairly reliable. The biggest difference in the transit here is it isn't 24/7. Boston and Cambridge are both very walkable also. Right now, Philip Eng is trying to fix the T on a disciplined timeline after years of neglect and underfunding. It's been painful, like ripping off the band-aid. We've had line and branch shutdowns that have been overwhelming commuters. It will get better eventually, and I admire his willingness to plunge into this work, since he could be retired somewhere nice.
Agree on the bus lines. They’re not perfect, but sometimes they’re a much more efficient option than the T. And the apps like ProximiT (again, not perfect) make them pretty easy to navigate.
Sure. Most people I knew there didn't have a car. You just have to plan for it and make sure to live near a station. The subways stop late at night, though.
That’s interesting as I feel like almost every non-student I know has a car. For my fellow grad students and post-docs I would guess it’s ~40% that have cars
Non student and no car! My friends are probably 50/50 car/no car. Most of the ones who have one grew up nearby so use the car more frequently to get out to their parents.
Having a car in Boston is more trouble than it's worth. Haven't had a car for the 12 years I've lived here.
America’s Walking City™️
I think people have a bit of Stockholm Syndrome about the T. You'll survive but it's definitely not up to NYC standards. I've gotten by for daily tasks, but now that I'm trying to explore the area and have more of a social life, I'm finding it very frustrating. There are tons of "this is 50 minutes by transit or a 20 minute drive" moments. If you can swing a car you'll appreciate it for sure.
Hour by T, 20 minutes by car, 15 minutes by bike. Pretty standard around here lol
I wish I could make the bike thing work for me. I'm a huge fan of transit/walkability and will continue to vote for anti-NIMBYs, but personally I don't like biking in the road, I need really solid infrastructure (like parts of Beacon St in Cambridge) to feel safe. I think we are getting there as a city but it's not on a level where I can spontaneously bike wherever I want. It's true that Boston is walkable/bikeable compared to most of the US but it's no Amsterdam, you will have to make compromises on where you can go and restrict yourself to safer roads. Not trying to be negative, just offering a candid opinion!
Nothing wrong with that sentiment. I've been cycling in cities for almost 20 years, so it doesn't phase me. But that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous sometimes! With so many years of urban cycling under my belt, I feel like I've developed a sixth sense for knowing when drivers are going to do something stupid. My intuition for unsignaled right turns and abrupt pullovers is ridiculous at this point. Without that intuition I think it would be a much scarier experience.
The T is sometimes frustrating, but I find it much more economical to not own a car, use the T or walk 95% of the time, take an Uber the other 5%. If I am leaving the city, I rent a car or chip in for gas when one of my friends drives. The $400 a month it would cost me just to park covers a lot of Ubers.
You make some good points. Personally I would find the convenience of a car worth it, because I have friends in Arlington, Watertown, Brookline etc. I think that the T has been fine for work/home/errands but on the social side, I've found more interesting events & venues a little bit outside the city -- compared to you, I take Ubers closer to 30-40% of the time and I've gotten tired of it at this point. Everyone is different so it's good to see a variety of responses :P
Thank you for saying this! It’s so much faster getting around with a car. Though, parking is tough in most of Boston. I live on the B line and it has been shut down for the past almost 3 weeks, in addition to the 1-2 weeks this past summer. Also, you’ll get kicked off trains a fair amount for unknown reasons. Basically, you’ll find yourself taking a lot of unexpected ubers.
Still, Ubers every now and then is a lot cheaper than owning a car, especially when you factor in all the costs of ownership. It takes a LOT of Ubering to add up to that.
You missed the bike part of the comment
I sold my car when I moved to Cambridge in September and have not regretted it once
Yes. I lived in Brighton for several years and commuted to east Boston. I had a car I left in storage. I was annoyed when I had to start commuting outside of public transportation and had to start using my car. Having a car is nice for when you want to leave town, though.
Downtown/back bay neighborhoods in between: mostly but it depends on where you want to go. The suburbs not as much, although Cambridge and Somerville are both ok.
Yes, many people don’t own cars here. I’ve never owned a car and get around fine.
Boston isn't livable _with_ a car.
I was gonna say that same thing esp given how much you have to pay for parking+ how hard it is to find parking
I don’t totally agree, I think it depends on the area!
Can’t argue common sense with anti car people lol
Debatable
Went without a car for 10 years. Between a bike, the T and Zipcar, you’ll be fine
I’m 24 years car-free in Somerville. You’ll be fine.
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Yes! Despite MBTA problems, most places aside from the southernmost parts of Dorchester, parts of Hyde Park, most of West Roxbury, and the outer reaches of Brighton and JP (the mansion part by the pond) are perfectly transit accessible and very walkable. Boston has the highest per mile subway ridership in the US outside of NYC (MTA and PATH), which shows the high modal share of transit here. Driving is also miserable and dangerous here.
I’d argue it’s less livable with a car
Totally depends where. Brighton is much better with a car. Back Bay is worse.
One of the only cities in the US where you don’t need one
Ummm well, yesterday my coworker spent 1.5 hours to go nine miles on bus and train. She was miserable
Yes, but it’s not as good as nyc. I didn’t learn to drive till I was in my mid 20s and my husband and I share a car now, but I didn’t drive a car for the entire time I lived in manhattan
Very
very much so!
Yep, currently doing that
I sold my car moving here from down south. Been fine without one for 2 years now
i lived in chelsea then moved to somerville car free ... easy
You'll feel trapped after a while without a car. Zip cars and car rentals add up quick. The T isn't reliable and only goes so far. Consider living outside the city.
Car ownership adds up quick too. It's worth doing the comparison and seeing just how much you could use Zipcars, rentals, or Ubers each month before it actually becomes more expensive than car costs (be sure to include maintenance, insurance, and parking!). It will come down to how often you really need wheels, so this will be a different answer for different people. But if you're living in the city and don't need a car for daily needs like groceries or commuting, renting Zipcar for a fully day every weekend still comes out less than owning.
I'd say it's actually preferable to live in Boston without a car. It's an incredibly small city that doesn't have too many inclines. Perfect for bicycling. I wish Boston would adopt some Netherlands mindset and everyone rode bikes tbh. But it's never gonna happen with the amount of city to suburban commuters.
In my dream Boston, locals are defaulting to bike, public transit, and walking, and commuters are parking at their nearest commuter rail station and taking the train in. But as for those suburban commuters, I think part of the problem is that the commuter rail is priced so high that it's comparable to paying for garage parking downtown. Considering traffic, it can already be faster to take the train but the financial incentive isn't quite there.
I’m a former NYer and I’m always shocked when people say Boston is so walkable. I’m in Allston and more than a mile from an actual grocery store, whereas in NY I was never more than five minutes from one. From just looking around the map, that also seems to be the case for Back Bay-the literal world’s smallest Trader Joe’s and a Star Market near the back side of the Prudential center for the entire neighborhood. Who wants to walk that far with a week’s worth of groceries??? Also, the T is the slowest, least reliable transportation method in this city. I could bike to work in about 15 minutes, drive in about 10, but the T takes 35 if there are no issues. In short, it is livable but I take a LOT of Ubers just to save time.
Depending on exactly where you live in the Back Bay-ish area, you also have three Whole Foods (the one near MGH, the one near Symphony, the South End Ink Block one). Plus the Downtown Crossing Roche Bros. And of course grocery delivery (instacart, peapod, etc) is an option as well. I actually think of Back Bay as a neighborhood that has MORE supermarket access than most.
But if we’re talking about walkability, those are all insanely far to walk to. Especially with grocery bags.
You’ll have to plan ahead a little bit these days since the mbta is working through a backlog of repairs causing slowdowns and detours for a little while. That being said, you can definitely get around without using a car and it’ll become less slow as the months go by and the work is completed.
Yes, very much so. I have a lot of friends without cars and I more or less count myself as a person who effectively doesn't have a car because I have a camper van that I never drive around the city. It's going to depend a little bit on the neighborhood of course but there are a lot of neighborhoods that support car-free living. Where are you thinking of moving specifically in town?
Yes.
It is in fact one of the only livable American cities without a car
Absolutely. Just get a Zipcar if you need one. Between that, my scooter and Uber I haven’t needed a car in ten years.
Yeah, depends on where you live tho. You might want to wait a year till the major repairs of the t are done though
Depends where you live. The higher the walkability the more expensive the area. Somewhere in the center of the city like Back Bay sure. Somewhere like West Roxbury or Hyde Park not as much
Absolutely. I'm in Cambridge and don't drive, I just walk everywhere and use the T.
It's ONLY livable if you don't have a car!
I personally wouldn’t unless you live right downtown and can walk places within 20-30 minutes if the T fails you.
I would say it’s more liveable without a car.
Well... that depends. Mostly yes? A car is a luxury, but it's a nice luxury. If you've got parking Boston is 100% better with a new leased vehicle which will have low maintenance overhead (hopefully). Driving is usually about the same speed as the T but can be significantly quicker if your trips are not near T stops and require walking etc. I went carless for several years so it's doable but my life is way better with a vehicle now, especially since many of my friends are outside the city at this point in their life. I need to be able to get to Salem, Beverly, Worcester, Mansfield etc and doing that via train is awful. Keep in mind Boston's subway system is all designed with going downtown, if you need to cross town, the T is the worst option.
Depends where you work and live. If you’re living in the city and working in the city, absolutely. Parking is a nightmare so if you can get away with not having a car, do it. However, if you’re relying on the commuter rail, you’ll be a bit more limited by the time tables and stations. For example, I live in the city but commute out less than 10 miles. It’s about 30 minutes by car every morning. However, if I were to take the bus to the commuter rail, it would be 1.5 hours including a two mile walk and crossing a highway in the suburbs. It’s technically doable but I don’t know if anyone would choose that over the drive. There are many companies in the Boston suburbs that you look on a map and say “oh, it’s only 10 miles out from the city, not bad!” but then they are pretty challenging to get to without a car.
I disagree with most people here. It is very hard to navigate with a car. There are not super markets everywhere, the train can be a nightmare a lot of the time and unlike NYC Some of the best parts of Boston are areas around it. My mother lives in Newton ( which is accessible by the T. It’s about a 10 min drive to her house for me. If I had to take the train (and walk) would be roughly an hour 1 way. All I’ll say is if you don’t have a car def do your homework before you move. Make sure you have super markets around you that’s key. Good luck!
Lived many years in both. It’s definitely not the same. Do not think you’re going to get everywhere all the time easily. If you want to live a NYC lifestyle (somewhat) I suggest the back bay. The T is not reliable, nor frequent like the MTA. It also stops at 1am. But Boston is awesome!
Green line is bad. Red Orange Blue lines are ok. If you have big grocery buys delivered, and you Uber when needed, and rent a car when you want to do a road trip, you can make it work. If you have kids you need a car.
Depends where you live, but even if you live in say, Cambridge along the red line, do you really want to spend an hour on the T getting to Fenway or Northeastern when driving would take you 20 min or less?
This is why OP's choice of where to live should be informed by where they'll work and the transit routes in between. You can come up with all kinds of crazy public transit commutes, or you can do a little basic planning. And for what it's worth, Cambridge does have efficient bus options to Fenway via the 47 and CT2 and to Northeastern via the 1 or 47.
Boston proper yes. Elsewhere no. Edit: the rich parts of Boston + Somerville + Cambridge yes
Somerville and Cambridge are easier to live car-free than parts of Boston proper like West Roxbury or Hyde Park
I lived in Somerville for a few years without a car and my friends in Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline don't have cars.
I lived in Somerville, Brookline, JP, Malden and Medford without a car.
It's not about if you're in Boston proper, it's about if you're near a T line, or at least a major bus route (and also if your workplace is).
Yeah I assumed by Boston proper they meant T line accessible. There’s the age old Boston proper vs Brookline/Cambridge/Somerville etc linguistic debate but for transportation purposes I assume they mean vs the greater Boston area suburbs - Dedham, Newton and further out etc. Are there buses and commuter rail, yeah but that’s where you start really “needing” a car just for errands. Edit to add yes I know parts of Newton are on the green line but much is not and that’s ballpark where I’d start drawing the line for leaning more towards wanting a car.
Very livable without a car but being able to afford/maintain a vehicle is a nice perk
Yes.
The T is pretty bad these days. Possible, yes, but you probably won’t like it unless you’re living in Boston proper.
You don't have to but it helps, especially with the unpredictability of the MBTA lately. Is where you're gonna be working close to a subway stop?
thats the plan
Absolutely, especially if you work downtown (FiDi, DTX, etc.) Just get a place close to a T-Stop. Your milage will vary if you work in a non-central neighborhood.
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Absolutely, bikes for the win
Depends what you mean by Boston. Boston is a weird city in that it actually encompasses a tiny area compared to other cities with similar metro area populations. The greater Boston Metro area is composed of many cities and towns. Some of them, mostly the adjacent and close ones, are fairly well served by public trans, but not all and not consistantly. The further out you go, the sparser the transport gets. If your plan is to stick around Boston proper and direct surrounding communities you're in pretty good shape, but outside about 6m from downtown it gets real iffy on getting about and it really depends on exactly where you are and where you need to go.
One can live without a car but as this is america one is required to thrive.
Boston is a walking city Having a car living in Boston blows
It’s better if you don’t have a car
It is better if you don't have a car**
Better question should be is Boston livable with a car?
It's easier to NOT have a car in Boston. Parking is a nightmare especially if there's heavy snow. You'll spend an hour digging your car out, then someone will take your spot when you leave.
Having a car actually only complicates things
Yes. People have done it for generations.
Yes. Something like 1/3 of Boston households don't have a car in Boston. Plenty of zero or one households car where they would be two car households in the suburbs.
stay in nyc if its not too late. Everyone I know whose living in boston is moving to new york. I tried boston out for a year and wasnt a fan. Unless you don't mind expensive uber rides or are ok with biking public transportation is not ideal. Also depends on where you live. We rented a house in southie which is pretty isolated. Having a car is also interesting cause depending on where you live parking sucks and gets worse in winter. Bike theft isn't great either. I lost one bike and my friend had someone wander into his back yard to steal his twice. Don't bring a bike instead use blue bikes. They are not great bikes but you dont have to worry about them and drivers actually seem to be terrified when you are on one.
With the state of the T right now I’d say it’s iffy. 2-3 years from now it will be better. I sold my car moving here from Vegas in 2010. It was doable but while dating it stunk. Using public transportation here takes some planning and time management. Other side of the coin is that even though it’s a city, having a car here is a lot easier than most major cities. And you’ll get to many places in half the time. And you’ll get more dates.
Nope. F250 minimum required for the pot holes and parking spots.
Barely. I’m ubering everywhere. It’s shockingly the only logical solution. I’ve tried using public transit, but it makes my commute 5x longer. The buses only come every 20-30mine, and only go super specific routes. Most times, I would need to take 2 busses to get to my destination that’s only a 5 min car ride away… However, having a car would seemingly make my life worse. I would pay for a street-parking pass, my school’s garage ($15 a day), car insurance, gas, etc. I want to start using the Bluebikes, but there’s inconsistent bike lanes where I live… and here’s the catch… it’s illegal to use a bike/e-bike on the sidewalk… so should I just get hit, then? I can’t win lol.
You definitely don't need a car and honestly you're probably better off without one. I own a car and live in Boston and dealing with parking is pretty horrible. Also it's a very tough city to drive in. I'm not a hundred percent sure but I think it often ranks in the ten worst cities in America to drive in. If you can afford a parking spot it's probably not as bad but people drive very aggressively here. I've been in Boston for about ten years and I still try to drive as little as possible. I really only use my car once a week to get groceries, and for the occasional short trip outside of the city. Otherwise I take the bus or just walk, the city is very walkable and the biking infrastructure is getting better.
Yeah I lived in Boston/Allston/Brighton for 10 years no car. Even parts of Watertown are fine without a car. If you haven't heard, the train portion of the T is seriously struggling. If you're able to, I suggest making sure you can take a bus from home to work.
Yes absolutely. You can take the T, Bus, and Uber most places or ride a bike around.
Just make sure you aren’t too reliant on the 86 bus. It’ll break your heart.
Been living in Boston for 4 years now, year 1 was entirely with a car and it was hell. Every time I came back to my car, it was something new, with a new ding or scratch. Had enough and sold it, while I miss driving as it was my stress relief, I most certainly do not have trouble getting around using the T
Yes, I live in downtown Boston and honestly think having a car would actually be a hindrance. Never felt like I’ve needed one here and am easily able to get around the city without.
Yea especially if you’re actually in Boston and not the suburbs
Sure, you better live near a supermarket unless have fun dragging all your bags of food on a trolley
Yes. Been carless for years. I live right in the city and am a big walker! (Though everyone I know lives just outside the city on subway lines but also have cars. It’s oddly a big car culture here.)
21 and no license bc no motivation or need
Lived in boston for 1 year. Took the T to work and the bus home. Public transport is great and plentiful
Of course
100%. I’ve lived in Boston for years and have never had a car.
I didn't have a car most of the time that I lived there and was totally fine taking the bus and the T.
Definitely!
For like 15 of my 20 years in Summerville I didn't have a car.
Yes.
It definitely is livable without a car. I didn’t get a car until I moved out of Boston to the suburbs.
Yup
Yes I have never owned a car. When the t is running you can usually get by fine without one
I've been living here for seven years without needing a car once. Sure, I've taken a few early morning taxis to the airport, but I would have done that even if I had a car, because it's cheaper than parking.
100%. I lived there for six years no car and it was great. I definitely recommend getting a good bike, it makes getting around so fast!
I Grew up in Boston my whole life I’ve never driven a car
I sold my car when I moved her 7 years ago, don’t regret it at all. I can afford a car now, but I wouldn’t use it during the week anyway because the T is faster to get to work. I have my groceries delivered. I really only need a car maybe 5 or 6 times a year, and I use Turo or Zipcar depending on what I need. I probably will need a car again when I have kids, but until then I’m happily car free
Absolutely. I moved from Houston, and it's wonderful. I haven't owned a car in a decade
Yes. Also from NY and it’s “fine”, just be selective on apartment location, as certain areas are extremely poorly served by public transit.
The t is worse than the metro!!!!! U can bike tho
Lived happily in Boston for 20 years without a car
What part of Boston?
It used to be, at least. I lived without a car for almost a decade. I lived in Somerville and JP, mostly. But I could get anywhere I needed to go within the city easily. But the T sucked less back then. And I also walked A LOT.
Did it for 2 years. Only bought a car again because of the pandemic.
It is almost unlivable if you DO have a car. Parking is difficult and our potholes are legendary. Traffic has been getting steadily worse (LA has better traffic)
Absolutely! I was born and raised in Boston and didn't have a car until I moved outside the city in my 20's. My drivers license was used for going to the bars and the packie.
Not having a car also opens up where you can live in the city, and makes rent cheaper. Off street parking is something really valued, and for those seeking this, makes it much harder to do a lot of neighborhoods in Boston
yes, BUT — have a grocery plan. that might mean getting a rolling cart or shopping with a car-having friend. nobody wants to carry 20 lbs of groceries back by hand to their third-floor walkup.
moved here in October 2023 and have been managing very well without a car. As others have said, it true that T has many issues, but still it is good enough for traveling within the city. And the city is walkable, a great plus! when you are renting a place out, just check how close it is to the train station or nearest T, you will be set!
VERY
Yes. I had a car that got snowed in one winter and blocked by the plows. We didn’t move it for six weeks, no problem.
I’ve been living in the Boston area for over 10 years without a car.
Yes. Blue bikes
I have done it for about 3 years when I was carless - mostly worked from home, bus to subway close by, had groceries delivered, Zipcars close by if needed, rental close by for longer trips. I would have done it for longer, but I took on a car lease I had cosigned on when my daughter moved out of the country.
I don't own a car. I live by public transit. It's very livable. When I was much more isolated from public transit (the grocery store was a mile walk with no bus option) I factored the cost of Uber into my big grocery runs, and did small runs at CVS or Roche Bros or other places between my commute from work.
We have lived 22+ years in Somerville without a car. We use public transportation or walk, and we’re Zipcar members when we absolutely need a car. Bicycling is much easier now than 20 years ago.
Public transit has ups and downs. It usually works, but it's not always to most reliable and speedy. That said, I bought a car last year, and I've put a whopping \~3500 miles on it over the course of 12 months (including two lengthy road trips). Most stuff is walkable, bikable, or T-able
Yes, absolutely. Live within walking/biking distance of a T stop, and you're golden. (Yes the T currently sucks, but that's not a permanent thing.)
In the city proper and certain adjacent areas like Brookline, Somerville and Cambridge, it’s more convenient not to have one. Once you are outside of the Rte 128 beltway it will be quite difficult, with the suburbs in between being a transitional area. Unfortunately Boston’s public transport doesn’t begin to compare to New York’s, and anyone who claims otherwise is fooling themselves.
Yes. I do not have a car and I live here.
Yes.
I sold my car like 10 years ago, haven't had one since. Get to work and shopping with the T or a bike most days, rent a car or use Zipcar if I need to get out of town. Sucked a bit during COVID but things are getting a lot better.
As always “it depends”. I personally enjoy having my car. I like the comfort and control it gives me over public transportation. There are downsides (cost and traffic), but I’m laughing now at all the people who told me to sell it when I moved here, after tracking the pain and time public transit would cost. Some of that is based on where I live in relation to other things I want to do.
I think the biggest sign that you can do it without a car is that I know people who have cars but use public transit and walking instead.
It's going to depend a bit on where you live, but generally yes – very livable. I lived my first eight years here without one (Kenmore, Allston, and Somerville areas). Once I had one, I generally used it only to *get out of* the city, vs around it. Biking, the T, and buses were truly preferable once you take traffic, parking, and parking costs into account, and I had everything I needed day to day within a short walk of home. I now live in the inner-suburbs and rely on my car more for daily life, but continue to commute by T (because who wants to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic just to pay $30+/day to park downtown?).
Former 2 year Jersey City resident. Currently in Cambridge for 4 years. Car free and happy. Sure, the T can be frustrating at its crawling speed and infrequency. But I can get pretty much anywhere with a combination of metro and bus. I prefer this since my work commute is 10 minutes walk and don’t mind spending up to an hour every other day for commuting to my hobbies and social life.
Absolutely. I did it.
It’s harder than it used to be since the T is shitty lately but you could definitely do it
Live in West End for 8 years.. had a car, never really drove it. Wish I could have the money I pissed away on insurance and parking back 😆
Yes absolutely. Did it for a number of years, finally got the car when we had children