I tried ditching my vehicle and doing the no-car thing. It was awful.

gowestyoungman
2024-07-05T00:57:32Z

Those urban activists who hate cars must be nuts.

Today, rather than drive my not terribly fuel efficient vehicle from my relative's house back to mine, normally an easy 2 hour 20 minute drive on divided highway, I decided to try using alternative transport.

I started out with a 45 minute walk to the highway bus station. Of course that meant carrying a fairly heavy back pack and being an old fart after awhile that got to be a pain. I spotted a Bird electric bike on my route so I rented it for the final leg of my walk saving considerable time but it cost me $8.99.

I got to the station half an hour early which meant I had the pleasure of standing beside a guy who was either drunk or just unstable. He had "All My Ex's Live in Texas" playing at full volume on his phone and was singing his lungs out. Fortunately most everyone else seemed somewhat normal.

The bus ride wasn't bad, a fairly new FLixBus with decent seats, and fortunately I didnt have to sit beside Mr. Texas. Everyone just put on their headphones or earbuds and zoned out on their phones.

But then arriving at my city, I could either Uber, which would have cost me $35, which was as much as the two hour bus ride or take public transit. After a 10 block walk to the right stop, I found the 'express' bus to my area and then had to find somewhere to buy a ticket.

Once onboard the ride was less than comfortable. The bus was not only incredibly loud and hot but the driver thought he was in Formula 1. He was pretty excitable, going hard then jamming on the brakes whenever he had the chance. 20 minutes on that bus was plenty, I can live without that pain.

Then it was another 15 minute walk to my house.

Was it fast? Definitely not. The trip took four and a half hours, almost DOUBLE the time I normally drive it in my vehicle.

Was it comfortable? Not really, no. It ranged from the hard seat of the suspension less Bird bike, to the very uncomfortable transit bus to a respite in the FlixBus and a somewhat enjoyable walk. But compared to my own car, my own music, and my own personal space, it was definitely not even close to a definition of comfortable.

Was it cheap? With the bus fare and the Bird e-bike it was about 2/3 of what my vehicle would've cost me in fuel but without the licensing, registration and maintenance, so maybe half the cost.

Was it convenient? Absolutely not. What a pain trying to figure out locations, fares, tickets and worst of all, needing a bathroom before I got on the transit bus but no place to go because every shop is locked up because of the vagrants. In a vehicle I just drive to the nearest coffee shop and buy a java to use the washroom.

Would I do it again to save money? Not a chance in hell. What an absolute pain in the ass. Slow, inconvenient, with some odd characters in my space, and not even that cheap. Never again.

Those people who hate cars must be masochists or just love hearing country songs sung badly. Ill take my vehicle every time from now on, thank you.

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