Portlanders fancy pedal power[/caption]Mike Gordon----If you live in a city that has a public transportation system that allows you access to your frequent daily and weekly destinations, you may be considering ditching your car. There are many advantages to living without a personal vehicle, like reducing your carbon footprint, getting in some additional exercise by walking and biking more frequently, and eliminating the growing costs of insuring and fueling a vehicle. Below are some items to consider when deciding if living carless in the city is right for you.
Advantages of Public Transportation
The largest motivator for many individuals considering ditching their car is the savings. By selling your car, you can eliminate your car payment, car insurance, gas, licensing fees and tabs, and car maintenance expenses. However, driving in a large city also comes with other costs such as rented parking spaces, parking meters and garages fees at all of your destinations, parking permits, city stickers, valet parking, parking tickets, and the additional time and gas spent looking for parking spaces.
Besides savings on expenses like these, taking public transportation can sometimes be faster than or just as fast as driving, particularly in poor weather or rush hour traffic. Ditching your car will reduce your carbon footprint and often allows you to learn more about your city by spending more time on foot or bike.
Disadvantages of Public Transportation
While there are many advantages to living without a personal vehicle, there are some disadvantages and adjustments you will need to make. You will need to learn the frequency and times of day that public transportation is available and always be ready with cab fare when you are traveling during a time in which transportation is not running in your area. While cabs may become part of your car-free living plan, if they are used too often they can really add up. Public transportation sometimes has excessive delays (as does conventional city driving), and public transportation is sometimes dirty, crowded, and noisy.
Car Rentals
When you need to travel outside of the city or need to shop for large items that don't travel well via public transportation, you can rent a car. Due to the growing demand of short-term car rentals many cities offer hourly or reduced rate one-day car rental options. Here are some car rental options to consider:
Hourly Car Rentals: Sometimes you just need a car for a few hours so you can run to the grocery store and stock up on bulky and heavy items. Instead of paying a full day's rental fees, you can rent a car from an hourly rental service. These services distribute their cars in multiple locations throughout the city to give you ease of access.
Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing: There are many peer-to-peer car share websites and apps that allow a person who has a car that they don't drive frequently to lend it to someone who just needs a car for a few hours or a few days. Peer-to-peer car share programs are often less expensive than hourly rentals or rental agencies, but you are likely not to be in a brand new car like when you rent from a traditional car rental agency. Sometimes you can even rent hotrods and luxury cars on peer-to-peer sites, but they will cost you a pretty penny. Before renting with a peer-to-peer site, make sure you understand your state laws for car sharing, verify that the owner's insurance provides you coverage, learn the deposit required to rent, and your responsibility for loss, damage, tickets, and accidents.
Car Rental Agencies: To stay competitive with the short term rental needs that city residents have from time to time, many car rental agencies offer special short-term rentals to local residents. Call your local agencies to find out what they have to offer, but it can be anywhere from half-day rentals to discounted full day pricing.
Eliminating your car will take some time and adjustment, but once you get used to the routes you travel frequently it will begin to feel like second nature.
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This article was provided by Mike Gordon, earth-conscious volunteer and recent business school graduate. If you are a California resident trying to save space and money (on top of ditching your car)
