Do you think it's possible to live a life without ever owning a car?

[thegreenyogi]

[Lliam]

It would certainly be possible to live life without a car if you never traveled far from home.
I would hate it because I enjoy my independence and like to explore.

I couldn't wait to drive. I got my license and first car when I was 16. I was in the Los Angeles area at the time. At that point, I was free to go places and do things like surf, have beach parties at night, see the California coast, camp and ski in the mountains, hike in deserts, go to attractions, concerts, different parts of town, different cities from San Francisco to San Diego and even Tijuana, Rosarita Beach and Ensenada with friends and girlfriends. I even went on adventures out of state and across country and took side trips on a whim. I drove to many national parks and to backpack in the Sierras, the redwoods and Yellowstone.

I've flown to the mid west and east coast, rented cars and toured the areas.

I have even rented cars and driven around Europe and Ireland, went where I wanted, stopped where I wanted and for as long as I wanted..

With a car, there are no limits. There is no way to get most places other than by car.

[Static_In_The_Attic]

It’s absolutely possible & you can totally live life without owning a car.

Own A TRUCK Instead!

[WindAtMyBack]

I've know a couple of people who did it. I had an aunt who went her entire life without learning to drive. She lived almost her entire adult life in NYC and took public transport everywhere.

It totally depends on where you live. Most of the US is too spread out for public transport to be efficient. So you pretty much need a car in most places.

With E-bikes and E-scooters becoming so popular, the need for a car lessens in warmer climates. But they would not be feasible in the winter where I live. I only drive a car about 100 miles a month (160KM). I might get an E-Bike, so I'd drive a car even less, mostly in the winter.

[Tarifa]

It depends on the location and your family status. If you live in or near a big city, with all the necessary stores nearby, are close to your work or can easily get there by reliable public transport, by all means, yes.

If distances are greater or you need to get around at difficult hours where public transport is virtually non-existent (late in the evening or very early in the morning), it will be hard.

If you have kids, it's going to be nearly impossible to get by without a car as soon as they're old enough to go to school and have extra activities outside regular school hours.

[OneViewpoint]

A little harder here in the USA to get by without a car. The entire country has evolved around a car culture for about the last 75 years. Public transportation here sucks outside of a few major cities. We are really spread out in suburban and rural areas with retail and grocery stores not walkable. There is very little accommodation for bicycles. We have really diverse weather and some rugged terrain.

Can you do it? Sure. Either live in a major city or, choose a suburban location very carefully for walkable access to critical shopping and services and proximity to your job.

[HawkPerception]

I've lived without one so far as many people in the world have. This is the only generation that normalizes having vehicles. The many generations for millennia before us had no issues without it.

However, it is definitely inconvenient nowadays to not have one.

[petitedollbabee]

Yes, it really depends on where you live and what you do for work. I got my drivers license years later than my peers because I lived in a city where you walk everywhere, and I only worked 5 blocks from where I lived, so driving made no sense. I’d take an Uber if I needed to go somewhere further than walking distance.

[mysteriousNicholas]

Not the bus like ordinary people? "Hitches up my working class belt on my working class pants" 👖💪 lol 🚌🚐

[Anonymous]

Unless you live in a urban center in America, no.

That may fly in Italy but not here. Car ownership is all but a necessity in the states. This is why I hope self driving cars (like Zoox) eventually progress to a point where the make individual car ownership obsolete. Because I think about the elderly people like my mother who live on a fixed income, really can't afford individual car ownership, the upkeep and maintenence and the insuring of it. But still need a way to get back and forth to Dr. Appts. And the grocery store.

[AviatorTom]

It's possible, depending on where you live. I know several people who live in New York City who do not own a car. They use public transportation to get around, and if they want to get out of town, say a family vacation in the mountains, they rent a car. It's much cheaper than paying for a car, insurance, gas, and parking in the city.

[Staximus]

Only about 1 in 5 people in the world own a car. I have lived without one before but public transportation in Southern California is not very good, especially in the suburbs. There's a big car culture in Southern California. If you don't have a car, you're basically viewed as a bum unless you're old or disabled.

[FunkyMonkee]

I've never owned one, technically.
I DO own one but it's only because, 5 years ago, I bought it back from the people my aunt financed it to in case I'm ever gonna need to drive but, I haven't ever driven it. It WAS in the driveway but I had to get a friend to drive it into the garage... about 15'.

[Friendlybro79]

Yes of course. Many cities here in the US like NY wouldn't require you to need a car. It would be cheaper to rent a car every so often when you need to drive somewhere outside of the city than paying a monthly car payments, insurance and parking.

[TonyMetal___86]

Yes it's possible but it makes things a lot harder and will cost us more than using a car, well it depends on what country you're living in, if your public transportation is cheap and reliable that it's easy to have a life without a car but in my country, public transpotation are zero and they are expensive, so owning a car is a lot better!

[4ngelic]

yes, that's very common. you dont need a car at least if you live in a big city or in a country with very good public transport. personally i'm 24 and not planning on getting a driving license any time soon, it's not worth the money

[HighValue]

Possible? Yes. Convenient? Definitely not.

Do you not own a car?

[thegreenyogi]

I do.

[HighValue]

I think a car is important to have. It would waste a lot of hours of a person's life if they had to rely on public transportation all the time, plus it would be much more difficult to go grocery shopping.

[NoDecision]

You could if you lived in a big city like Chicago or New York. You definitely need to live in a place where they have good public transportation. For instance, Chicago has Metra Rail, a train service, and CTA - Chicago Transit Authority.

[Sunrising]

Don't get car-ried away with this thought.

Passing a car test is part of life, something for everyone to do.

At present I'm managing fine without one, and hiring when necessary.

[Sunrising]

After passing your test you next buy a car.
Everyone should own a car at least once in their life, even if it's only an old banger.

[RandomGirl42]

My grandmother did. She lived on a little farm and had a tractor but the local store was within walking distance so she didn't take it there too often.

[matchrestore]

Yes, but, not where I live. Despite living in the urban core, the area is too rural in general, and a lot of places I need to get to are not in the urban core.

[Dargil]

Not the one I want to live; an urban Metrosexual.

[michael3478]

It's possible but the bus and train is not always on time and reliable but if you can't afford a car you have no choice you must leave the house early to get to work on time.

[Nikki1989]

Many people already do. I have a car but only drive it if I need to for work purposes. I would rather walk or catch trains and buses.

[genericname85]

i mean where i live, it's easily possible. it's a little less convenient but the infrastructure (bus, tram, train, bike lanes) is adequate. but i live in an urban environment. in a rural environment, not having a car sucks.

[Amy10223]

You can do this in big cities where you can get in trains anywhere. If I lived in NY again, I wouldn’t need to own a car.

[NordicInScandinavia]

Sure, think I could but my partner wanted a car so we got one. Don't even have a driver licence. 🤷‍♀️

[Jersey2]

People in NYC (Manhattan) do it all the time. If they need to drive, they will rent one. Parking there is very expensive and transportation options there are very good.

[slatyb]

Absolutely. Most people in New York City and similarly dense cities do not own a car.

[guesswhereivebeen]

Depends entirely on where you live… I’m in San Francisco and a car is more of a headache plus uber is everywhere so lots of people don’t have them and are just fine… but if your out in the sticks you probably need one

[Flower7]

Of course it’s possible. There are plenty of people who do it.

[Fireguy17]

You betcha.
Live in a big city where owning a vehicle is more of a pain in the ass than it is worth.
Need one, give rent one

[Zack-Bann]

It is possible but you’d be missing out on the freedom of motorized transportation

[DryGermanGuy]

I know several people without a car or even a driver’s license that live perfectly content lives.

[AngryCarl2]

Yes I do. Not for me personally, because I can drive. If you're one of the many people who can't drive for whatever reason there's no point in owning a car.

[mysteriousNicholas]

@thegreenyogi you're not full living without a licence and a car - 😊👌😈

[Spencer10]

For sure. Live in a large city with great public transport... no problem.

[KishasDarling]

I've gone without a car since January and I'm fine. I take a bus to work and walk everywhere else.

[douride2]

It would be impossible to get by without a vehicle where I live as there is no public transportation.

[Still-alive]

Gonna depend on where you live. you can get away with that in new york or tokyo, but not so much in los angeles

[RHK36]

Yes, if you live where there's great public transportation or everything you need is within walkable distance.

[exitseven]

Yes, if you lived in the city and did not like to travel. It would be tough for me.

[Anonymous]

I would guess 25% of people have never owned a car. In the world (8 billion people) I would bet that's more like 75% or higher.

[Cidknee]

Sure, especially if you have relatives and friends who lookout for you. Then there's life in the big city. Subways and taxis.

[DrPepper12]

Of course. I know dozens who don't even know how to drive!!

[Xawyx-2]

Yes, of course, I don't have a car, and I don't know how to drive.

[dragoblack]

Yeah, but getting around is harder when public transport is crap. E-bikes, and gy6-scooters are the way to go.

[msc545]

You can, but depending on where you live you won't like it very much and it's going to get real expensive.

[msc545]

When I was 15, I wanted a car and my driver's license very badly, mainly because I wanted a private place to have sex. When I got those things at 16, it was a liberation for me.

[austinbooth]

Yes I do. My family takes care of me. I have a brain tumor

[Surely]

Would be a lot less expensive! If you could.

[WhitneySnow]

Yes if you live in the city

[katiesmuff]

Around the world it is quite common!

[Massageman]

Sure. Just lease it.

[blackeagle007]

Saving a lot of $

[Ironco]

Not a chance, I own six and counting.

[Jeff51]

Yes and I'm sure some do it.

[Jmmmfi4]

Possible yes

Easy no

[Anonymous]

Obviously yes!

What do you think 🤔

[bunniesrcute]

not really

[eagle1951]

yes.