I got rid of my car in Southern California, and neither should you
At twenty-three, I took my first big international trip. My adventures included Ireland, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. I fell in love with public transit.
I traveled 7 countries and dozens of cities without ever driving a car. Trains connected every region on the continent. I rarely waited more than 10 minutes for bus or subway service. All of it was affordably priced.
Returning home to my beloved California, I felt something akin to culture shock. California is built around cars, not people. Most of the state, developed after the automobile, was designed (and legislated) with the machine in mind.
Upon my return, searching for parking was a slog. Traffic was more insufferable than ever. Every time I filled up my gas tank, my wallet ached like never before. I had changed and I dreamed of going carless.
An unexpected catalyst
Since 2014, I had been gearing my career towards remote work, the first major step away from car dependency. At that time, I commuted 18 miles to and from work. A journey that took me anywhere from an hour to and hour and a half each way. Finally, opportunity presented itself.
I found a position on FlexJobs at a large company, 100% remote, and a great fit for my qualifications. I interviewed, got an offer, signed the letter, and received my start date: March 4th, 2020. As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one switching to remote work and bidding adieu to my commute at that time.
The idea sets in
It wasn’t until normalcy started returning that the thought occured to me: Do I need a car anymore? I’d heard Southern California has poor transit, but I’d seen the busses. I had even taken the train up the coast on beach vacations. But, I had never used public transit for daily life.
I researched bus routes and train schedules to my usual haunts. Service was expansive but lacked frequency. Many busses only came every 45 to 60 minutes. On the plus side, a handful of nearby stations connected me to everything I needed. I wondered if I could make it work.
Supplementary transport
I knew busses and trains alone wouldn’t be enough. I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike and am lucky to live in a town that values bike lanes and bike safety. I opened Apple Maps and found bike routes around town.
I also live in an area with ubiquitous ride-sharing. If I needed to get somewhere unreachable by bus or bike, I could call a car. Additionally, and this is a big addition, my wife would still keep her car.
Testing the waters
I began a proof-of-concept experiment: Use public and alternative transit for one month, and see how many times I needed to use my car. There were 2 emergencies that month where I had to get behind the wheel. I was surprised it was only twice.
After another month of similar results, I crunched the numbers. Even if the number of emergencies tripled, and I needed to ride-share multiple times a week, it would still be cheaper to go carless.
I got rid of my car
The day I sold my car, I wanted to take the bus back home. I wanted a symbolic ride. Unfortunately, my wife and I had somewhere to be that day so she picked me up from Carmax and we drove together. I wondered if I made a huge mistake.
As the weeks and months carried on, I began to settle into my mostly carless life. I got to know the bike lanes of my town very well. I found, while not frequent, the local bus service was almost always on time. I learned to navigate my world in a completely new manner.
There were mishaps: flat bike tires, missed busses, and stressful moments scheduling meet-ups. But, after 3 months or so, things calmed down and normalcy set in.
I rode the LA subway for the first time going to see my wife perform at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Master Chorale. We take the train to LAX and never have to pay $50/day for parking or ask some unlucky friend to drive us. I don’t worry about surprise $800 mechanic bills once or twice a year. For every momentary mishap early on, there is a long-lasting benefit.
…and neither should you
I got rid of my car is a little dishonest. More accurately, my wife and I became a one-car family. It was an environmental and civic-minded choice. I’m glad we were able to make it. But, I was only able to go carless because I’m the beneficiary of a huge amount of privilege.
I work remotely for a medical technology company. I live in an city with above-average transit options and a commitment to biking. I have a supportive partner. My life is predictable. These circumstances all made it possible for me to get rid of my car.
If you’ve been thinking about ditching your car, consider it carefully. It’s not easy, but is rewarding if it aligns with your values. More importantly, it goes a long way toward lessening the American public transit stigma. Initially, I was met with friendly confusion or pity when arriving by bus or bike. After a couple weeks, no one gave it a second thought. Friends asked questions and even occasionally took public transit themselves.
The more we use public services the more important they are to our communities, and the more we can invest in improving them. In a wealthy region of a wealthy country, owning a car should not be requisite for success. Enabling freedom of movement improves upward economic mobility, deepens our understanding of one another, and fosters a sense of community through a shared public good.
