Anyone gone carless?

Neither the wife or I drive, yah I sometimes have to cadge a lift places but these days people seem more than happy to have someone else cover a good chunk of the fuel costs?

Public transport and bike for everything, not even a home delivery on groceries.

Granted we live in London but even so I use to manage when I lived in County Durham.

Just depends what you’re used to I guess kind it’s also a perfect excuse to keep buying bikes.

So this thread is about if its possible for a family to survive with only one car?
Wow, that isn’t exactly what i’d class as carless

If I’d known I’d “gone carless” ten years ago, I’d have been self-satisfied and smug about it a long time ago. Who knew?

I’ve also gone tv-less, and, in fact right back to when I got hitched, homeless.

molgrips – Member
We have a bus into town, takes 50 mins tho against 15 to drive, and we can park immediately right in town. I really would take the bus if it didn’t take so effin long.

What you’re describing, that isn’t a bus into town. Are you sure you didn’t get on one that had been hijacked?

Considering how often I used to pass several busses on my commutes I reckon it’s close to being true, seeing that there seem to be bus stops generally in sight of each other so people don’t have to walk very far they spend longer stopped than driving.

More likely it’s one of those catch all services that tours the burbs.

In some areas that is the only bus that exists

We’ve only got the 1 car. Only had 1 for 7 years now. If you have kids you are going to have to have at least 1 car in the family. However I do have 2 motorbikes at my disposal 😀 – they only helps me, not any help to my lad or for shopping.

Although you might think a motorbike doesnt save a lot over a car, it does indirectly. I dont use the bike nearly as much as if I had a car. About £10/week on fuel.

We cope just fine with the 1 car, the only time its a bother is if I want to go biking some distance away and mates cars arent available. Other situations can be worked around pretty easily. It just takes a little thought and acceptance of change.

What you’re describing, that isn’t a bus into town. Are you sure you didn’t get on one that had been hijacked?

It is the bus into town. I live on the edge of town, and it goes through three suburbs. Still a more or less direct route, just stops a lot and doesn’t bomb down the dual carriageway like we do in the car.

My car was due for tax renewal. And I decided to see what it’s like not having a car for a bit. Been driving since I was 17, and rely on it heavily..
I don’t miss it, at all. And I’m saving a fortune! It’s still insured but not paying for fuel, and I’m not just “nipping to the shops” for shit I don’t actually need… My ride to work takes about the same time as there is a more direct route off road that I can take. And I feel better in general. How long this comfort will last who knows, but at the moment. I don’t feel the need in it.

In some areas that is the only bus that exists

True, live any further out than I do and the bus travel gets much harder. 5 miles from the nearest reasonable size town is quite a long way though. Thought I’d google it and found a defra document stating that about 20% of the population lives in rural areas, where the largest town would be 10k people.

If Molgrips is living 15mins on a DC from a town, of course his bus service will be shite, that’s private enterprise for you. Still leaves a decent proportion of the country with a chance of viable public transport. I’ve lived in 9 different places and only 2 were poorly served. Both were 10miles from the nearest decent town.