Living without a car

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Fraevo63

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Due to circumstances beyond my control I have been without a car for several months. Anyone here carless as well? I need to know someone else is dealing with this issue.
Thank you.
 
Your situation is obviously frustrating for you, so I hope it changes soon.

While I have one now, I once went ten years without a car, for all intents and purposes. The Husband had one during that time, but he was away a lot for his job so I effectively had no access to it. If I needed to go somewhere, I either walked, took public transportation or he drove me. Still, I know what it’s like not having the freedom of movement uninhibited use of a car affords.

The Husband drives a company car now, but if it’s taken away from him for any reason he’ll take mine (which is legally his anyway) and I’ll once again be without one. That could happen at any moment—change or loss of job, evolution of his employer’s policy, etc.

Praying you may soon have another car. God bless.
 
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My sister has no car.

Her city is pretty friendly to non car owners.

When she visits, she comes by commuter train.

If she had a car, she’d have to pay for a parking spot.
 
Yep.

In a small town without a usable bus system and maybe 3 UUBER drivers.

I feels as if I am on house arrest 🙂
 
My son has no car. He relies on us for a ride, walks or has friends that may help him. limited bus service here.
 
My son has never had a car and uses public transport but he does live in a city, lots of buses and Uber drivers etc. It can be expensive if you need to use it a lot, a car can be cheaper if you’re over twenty five or so due to insurance costs.

I used public transport when I was young and I didn’t like it. I’d always choose car because public transport doesn’t take you exactly where you need to go sometimes and I don’t like the vulnerability I feel when I use it. That’s being honest, but if you have no choice then Id use it during normal working hours but if I was physically or mentally vulnerable I’d not use it past early evening.
 
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Me too. Public transportatiom is available here and even if I was given a car now, I probably no longer know how to drive even if I have a license and the car expenses (gas, all sorts of euro stamps and insurances to be paid each year, yearly revision) would be too much for me.
 
I (well, my wife and I) own a car. I would like to be carless. I was carless for most of my life, until I got married. I wish someone would steal our car, but nobody wants a 16-year-old Volkswagen, apparently.

Living in New York City, it’s just easier not to have a car.

But, obviously, in most of the country, I get that not having a car could make life very difficult.
 
This question really depends on where you live, doesn’t it? We both live 20 minutes from work. I have often thought of retiring where I do not need a car. Heck, for the cost of one, I could rent on for several weeks a year to take trips.
 
Yes, a lot depends upon the logistics one deals with.

There is a difference between choosing not to have a car and having carlessness forced upon you. I was in the former situation and had access to excellent public transportation services, both within the city and farther afield, for the duration. The OP is evidently in the latter scenario, which is harder to cope with.

If I lived in the sticks and had no car, I might not be able to properly execute my duties.
 
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Like TheLittleLady, I live in a small town. I don’t think I could survive without a car. My doctors are all in the next town 15 miles away. Everything is far away, in fact. Just a local Walmart superstore and Walgreens here that I can access. Of course, without the ability to go to my doctors, Walgreens would be useless.

I hope your circumstances change soon so you can obtain a car!
 
Hi. I am the OP.
Being without a car is causing me a great deal of hardship with my faith walk. I am in RCIA and just last Saturday became a member of that parish. I want to be involved in parish life but right now it is a challenge just to be at Sunday Mass. I have unfortunately missed some Holy Days of Obligation because I use Lyft ride share services which is very hard on my financial budget. I also have to use Lyft to get to work Mon thru Fri. Very costly. Haven’t had a car since July of 2018. Lord have mercy on me.
 
Have you mentioned this to anyone from RCIA? They may be willing to give you a ride to or from mass. You never know until you ask. Call your parish office and ask if they have an programs for non-driving members.
 
Irishmom2 said:
Have you mentioned this to anyone from RCIA? They may be willing to give you a ride to or from mass. You never know until you ask. Call your parish office and ask if they have an programs for non-driving members.
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This is a great idea. I was going to suggest something similar. At least it could help with your faith walk.

And yes … I have indeed been without a car on more than one occasion. I live in suburbia so it isn’t convenient to not have transportation. NO public transportation here except for cab or Lyft which, as you mentioned, can be quite costly. So, I completely understand where you’re coming from for sure!

I pray that you will be able to acquire a car very soon!!
 
Thank you for your kindness here.
I am the OP. I really want to be a blessing to my parish and glorify God with my life. I will try to receive transportation assistance from my fellow parish members. I am a bit quiet and even shy about asking for help but I will try. ❤️🙏☺️
 
Greetings!
I bicycled to work for a few years when I did not have a car; it was only a few miles each way and was not overly problematical (although heavy rain wasn’t so much fun and we did dump in the snow once… I had a baby carrier above my fender for taking my little one to preschool.
Do call your church office and let them know about your transportation challenge. I’ve brought Holy communion to those who are home-bound in my area and our parish office has reached out and found rides for parishioners who need transportation to Mass.
May God bless you!
jt
 
I haven’t bothered to budget for a car in the last three years. Some of that time was because I was in India. Some of that was due to budgetary constraints. Now it is due to just wanting to focus my money elsewhere. I’ve had rentals at times but never a car of my own.

For work, I’ve taken the bus. At my last job, my company subsidized public transportation, but there was an understanding that we’d only use the subsidy on work-related travel. My current company uses private buses for employees, and I live near one of the stops, so that’s nice. I also live near enough all my day-to-day needs for things to be reasonable. I use Uber for anything too far. Alternatively, I’ll rent a car if I really need it.

I do, however, live in a very populated area. Uber drivers tend to be no more than 3-4 minutes away, and there’s tons of public transportation. I did have to plan where I lived for walking to things like the grocery store, but that’s sort of the advantage of living in populated areas and planning beforehand for not having a car.
 
Just curious - have you thought about an inexpensive scooter? I see some around the town where I live. You’d probably want to check the laws on them in your area first, but that might be an alternative. Also, as @jeannetherese said, a bicycle might be good for short distances. You could always wear rain-gear when it rained. Or are you up North where both would be impossible during winter?
 
The isolation caused by my not having a car continous to be a source of much grief. I’ve yet to establish any bonds with anyone in my parish. My confirmation sponsor provided by my parishes RCIA program has given me rides home from church. I can’t say we have become FRIENDS though. It is so frustrating and my anxiety has been high. I feel trapped.
Sincerely,
me
 
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