Green Prudence: How to Live Without a Car

wikiHow
April 18, 2007

Living without a car can be pretty tough, especially in the U.S., where public transportation is frequently lacking and where questionable urban planning has caused the average person to live far away from workplaces, schools, and markets. That said, it's certainly possible, as long as you're willing to change your lifestyle. Some of the suggestions below are easy for anybody, while others require more sacrifice.

Steps

Determine why you are going car-less. For some people, it's about social responsibility (i.e. minimizing fossil fuel consumption). For others, it's about health or to save money. And for a few, it's simply about freedom—not being tied down to the responsibilities of owning and maintaining a car. Your reason behind living without a car will affect how far you're willing to go with this lifestyle choice. But no matter what your motivation is, one thing's for sure: there will be tremendous cost savings.
Keep your car as backup during a transition period. While you're testing out your car-free lifestyle and working out the kinks, you should hold on to your car until you can rely on alternative means. Once you can go for 1 to 2 months without touching the car, you're ready to let it go.
Use public transportation. If you live in an area with public transportation, take advantage of it. Research routes, find out about special fares and programs, bookmark the local trip planner on your computer, and save the customer service number on your cell phone.
Consider moving to a location that is within biking or walking range to all the important places, such as grocery stores and bus or train stops or public transportation hubs. Get a map of the city's transit system or use an online trip planner, and find out how quickly you can reach a variety of destinations from your prospective home. It's always good to have at least a small grocery store within easy walking distance for quick trips. If you're looking for a big change, move to a city with a good public transit system, such as Chicago, New York, or Portland, Oregon. Alternatively, relocate to a small, yet still sizable city like Madison, Wisconsin, where you can cross the whole city by bike in a reasonable time. If you're worried about the expense of moving and living in a different neighborhood (e.g. higher rents), weigh the additional costs with the savings you can achieve by not having a car.
Get a more conveniently located job. People most often choose housing that is near their place of business, but if you like a particular neighborhood or house, you can do the opposite. Make sure that your workplace is located within walking or biking range to a bus stop or train station. Also find out how difficult it is to reach your workplace from your house; if you can only get there by taking three different buses over two hours, it's not really accessible. If possible, avoid the commute altogether by working near (or from) your home.
Buy a bicycle. The cheapest ones at discount stores may go as low as $45 and high quality commute bikes range from $500 to $1200. Garage sales and online classifieds frequently offer additional low cost or even free bicycles. Police departments often have annual sales of bicycles they've recovered. Remember—besides being free, environmentally friendly, and usually immune to traffic congestion, bikes also give you a free daily workout. If your day to day life is going to depend on the bicycle, look into the climate and other factors as described in the Tips below.
Buy a Moped. These mini-motorcycles cost under $800 new, do not require insurance, get 80+ miles to the gallon, and are fun to ride. In many cities of the world, mopeds outnumber cars.
Join forces with other commuters.
- Consider participating in car sharing programs, such as City Car-Share, i-Go, FlexCar, ZipCar or VanPoolHawaii. There are a variety of programs that enable you to use a vehicle when you need one. If you just need to get to work, you might be able to arrange a vanpool from your local transit service.
- If you need to take a trip outside of the range of inexpensive public transportation, try to get a rideshare. You simply find a driver who's going your way and give them gas money or help them out with the driving. You can find rideshares on the Internet.
- If possible, get a job that allows you to use a corporate vehicle, thereby eliminating the need for a personal vehicle.

Tips

Buy a shopping cart or foldable wheeled tote so you can haul hefty loads from the grocery store to your home without breaking a sweat.
Make friends. Sometimes, such as when you're moving or need to pick up a piece of furniture, it really helps to drive a car. In these situations, it really helps to have a friend with a car or truck.
If you plan on riding your bike everywhere, research the climate of the area in which you plan to live. Even bitter cold winters can be fun to ride in if prepared with the proper cold weather gear. Snow skiing apparel will make you stylish and comfortable too.
Be sure to check out the bike accessibility of the area: does the city or neighborhood have well marked bike lanes, or will you be brushing up against cars on a narrow shoulder? In most places, you're allowed to take your bike along on the train or bus, but double check to make sure. And if you have trouble biking, consider an electric bike.
If absolutely necessary, don't hesitate to flag down a taxicab, or rent a car or truck. After all, you're probably saving at least $4000 a year by not having a car.

Warnings

Don't take advantage of friends who have cars. You should try to be as self-sufficient as possible, and try to reciprocate favors, or they'll quickly get annoyed with you.
Buses and trains do sometimes have trouble staying on schedule. If you have to be somewhere important at a certain time, give yourself plenty of time in case something goes wrong. You'd do the same even if you had a car.
Be wary of carpooling with strangers, especially if you're alone.
If you're using a corporate vehicle, be aware that your employer may be keeping close tabs on usage, mileage, and fuel consumption. Also, they may have strict rules against using corporate vehicles for personal use, so be careful.
Be aware that if you give up your current car, you may also be giving up your insurance history. If you ever decide to drive a car again, and you've not been continuously insured, you will be treated like a brand new 16-year old driver, with rates to match. If you will be driving at all (e.g. in a borrowed or rented car), look into "non-owner" car insurance. It's cheap, and it makes life financially safer. Saves loads when renting a car, too.

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External Links

Craigslist and Freecycle are good places to look for bicycles and other free stuff.
GishiGo Ride Share Network "Go With Someone You Know"
Ridester.com The road trip marketplace where you can buy or sell economical rides between cities within a feedback-rated community.
Edmunds.com True Cost to Own calculator for late model cars
Google Ridefinder Google's cab finder
Google Transit Google's public transportation trip planner