Going carless seems like one of those unheard of things. Why would anyone ever go carless and put themselves at the mercy of having to catch rides from others? Well, I did decide to let my car go as it became more and more apparent that going carless was, in fact, for me. There are numerous reasons I found this to be the case but these are the major ones.
My kids aren’t interested in driving
While I did take driver’s education at 14, I had very little interest in driving when I was in high school. I had a boyfriend with a car. I had friends with cars. I had parents with cars. If I wanted to go anywhere, there was always someone to take me where I wanted to go.
I finally got my license after I got pregnant with my son at the ripe old age of 20.
All of that aside, I really thought my kids would be thrilled to get a license and drive to school. I also thought my kids would feel “too cool for school” as it related to having their mom anywhere near it. I was wrong. Though 14 and 15, my kids have zero interest in driving at the moment, so me having a car for them to practice on isn’t a big deal right now.
Having a car was too expensive
I don’t know if I just purchased a lemon or if it’s just that time where everything is going wrong on my car at once, but I’ve had problems with my vehicle for the past 2 years. Considering it’s been the same issue repeatedly, I do feel like it’s partially the mechanics at the dealership that either don’t know what they’re doing or they’re just screwing me over. Regardless, it’s become extremely expensive having a vehicle. Fluctuating gas prices, car maintenance, insurance, taxes, and registration all add up even if you don’t have a car payment and I just found other methods like Uber and public transportation were more cost-efficient.
Going carless reduced my carbon footprint
As I’ve gotten older, I have really become more conscious of what I’m putting out into the world. I’ve started eliminating things that I just find unnecessary to my life or that are causing me stress. My vehicle has certainly become one of those things.
Driving back and forth into work became a hassle with the growing population of my city. I found myself sitting in, what felt like, never-ending lines of traffic. It was far more beneficial to have one less car on the road.
Because I live on the outskirts of Charlotte, the public transportation options are limited. We do have a bus that comes into the city from Charlotte, but it’s considered the “business” bus, so it only runs during the weekdays, during commuting hours. I’m about a 7-minute drive (or 20-minute bike ride) from the closest Charlotte bus stop that runs every day, almost all day. It’s for this reason that I do a combination of the business bus in the morning and utilizing a combination of the closest Charlotte bus and Uber in the evening.
I gained much needed time
If you take public transportation, you know how much time that can tack on to your journey. Riding in an Uber doesn’t take away the traffic on the road. What these things did do, was give me my hands back to use for checking emails and writing blog posts. Working a full-time job can make blogging difficult, so you’ve really got to find time wherever you can. Not having to drive gave me the freedom to write and scout out future shooting locations. This, to me, was priceless.
I’m curious how many other people out there have decided going carless was for them. What were your reasons?
