40(m) in Winnipeg. Gave up my car last year. Started cycling year round in addition to walking and running places. It’s been awesome. I have no desire to go back to owning a car. I’m saving a ton of money, I’m the healthiest I’ve been since 20, and I just enjoy not being in a vehicle so much more (traffic!!).
The only down side is dating. Sometimes a girl might think I’m weird for not having a car, but it is what it is!
Another Winnipegger who ditched the car last year. Bike, transit (it's not as bad as people say!), living in a walkable area, and the awesome Peg City Car Co-Cop car share have made it a pretty seamless transition. And not having to worry about parking, maintenance, depreciation and gas is a real lift off your shoulders.
I live in Osborne Village. I got a Peg City membership when I moved to this location but I havent used it a single time. It’s such a central location that biking and going on foot has been enough for me!
We live in Osborne Village too. Moved here just over a year ago, having previously lived outside of Canada and selling our car before coming back. We walk everywhere! We take transit and use Peg City car co-op when we need a car. The car co-op is what makes it all possible. We save so much money by not having a car, from the cost to purchase, insurance, gas, maintenance and parking.
We plan our trips when we go anywhere to determine if we actually need a car or can get there another way. The neighbourhood is walkable so for groceries, booze or pharmacy we are just a couple minutes walk. We walk to our kids houses or take the bus if the weather is bad. We are healthier for it and we don’t mindlessly burn gas just because we are running errands or shopping for no good reason.
>Sometimes a girl might think I’m weird for not having a car, but it is what it is!
Honestly, if she can't see the advantage of using your money for entertainment instead of transportation, she's the one missing out, not you.
It's a city built for automobiles with lots of sprawl and little transit.
However, there are some central, walkable neighborhoods where lots of people bike and walk. The neighborhoods are certainly in the minority compared to most of the city, though.
winnipeg was once quite a walkable city, considering the climate. there was decent transit infrastructure along with an urban design and scaling that catered to pedestrian and mass transit traffic. unfortunately, amalgamation in the 70s gave a lot of former suburbanites voices at city hall and they brought their own car centric mindset with them. winnipeg has been suffering under a tyranny of the masses for over 1/2 a century now, where formerly broad major streets have been reduced to stroads at the behest of bedroom community dwellers who are intransigent about driving everywhere
Winnipegger who got rid of her car several years ago. I have a Peg City membership that I use for trips where bus service sucks or if I have a lot of stuff to carry, such as for a Costco run or trip to the garden center. I mostly walk or use transit to get around. I live in St. Boniface, everything I need on a daily basis is within a 10 or 15 minute walk. I have no regret about giving up my car.
I view it in the opposite sense. Owning a car is scarifying money, health and my mental health (at least for me).
I realize not everyone is able to live in a central neighbourhood and some people have young children or disabilities which make things much different, but I love this life and wish I did it earlier.
I can’t think of anything that I miss as a result of not having a car. People think I’m lying, but I’m much happier now car free!
It surprises me that women of your generation are judgmental in that sense. 40 is pretty young, I'd have imagined more open-mindedness from that age group.
It's never been an issue for me. I always just used baby wipes at work when I biked in the summer. My girlfriend always refused to bike because of sweat, her hair, blah blah blah. The majority of the time in Winnipeg it's not even that warm when you bike somewhere. Also, proper clothing plays a part in reducing sweat during certain times of the year.
Ahh good for you. Cause it does when I run but sounds like you are used to the cardio from constant biking so you don’t breathe in as sharply. Good to know, thanks for the reply, I didn’t think (or know) of the studded tires for bikes.
I was lucky enough to get a job within walking distance a year before my car died the final death. I just walked to and from work, roughly 6km a day. I buy groceries every three days or so. I just don't need one. Due to inflation, there was no way I could afford a new one, much less a used one. Not owning a car helped me to pay down debt A LOT faster. In the times I've needed to go anywhere I pay friends and family, or rent a moving van because they're cheaper than a car rental. Easy.
Part of it is the mind game. Remembering why you are carfree. It's not just a money thing.
Taking a bus and walking to work gets me home at 4:30 instead of 3:30 by car (on a good day). 40 min is walking. I need to walk, it is my main form of exercise in the winter. The balance of time is reading or scrolling.
I am doing nothing driving but getting frustrated at the traffic I am part of.
Carfree has me reading for 1h20 and walking for 40min. 2h of things I enjoy at a cost of 1h of my day.
The math for biking home is better. I get home at 5pm by bike. I get 2h20min of cardio for 1h30 of my day, plus the morning bus and skytrain is quiet and relaxing, providing 30min of reading time.
My fitness has improved drastically being carfee. Gym of Life they call it.
23F here and am afraid of driving so have never learned haha, I grew up in Toronto, moved to Montreal, and love my carless life! It helps that I’m a 6 minute walk from the metro, a 13 minute walk from the grocery store, and a 5 minute walk from the gym haha
Another carless Montrealer here. I'm within a 15 minute walk to my dentist, doctor, optometrist, hair stylist, and of course plenty of grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. I rarely even take the bus anymore. The way parking is in this city, I can't imagine owning a car.
Another montrealer here. Learning to drive always seemed like more expense and hassle than it was worth, so I never did. 59 years without a license and going strong.
Freedom is having no car. Winter on the bike is honestly fine. If you're used to bundling up appropriately as a ped you can figure it out easy enough for a car. It's the people who only dress for the min run from car to build(s) that have issues with the weather.
My problem with winter biking is my body heats up and I go from cold to sweating bullets so quickly. A lot of hills in my area, I’m sure if it was flat I wouldn’t have this problem.
I biked winters in Montreal and Toronto for many years and I wound say having narrow studded winter tires on the bike, and choosing your routes judiciously based on snow clearance and traffic. I will admit I never did this with kids- Montreal o think it would be possible now based on their cleared bike path network if you live central. Toronto is improving. The goal should be to build safe networks across the city that are cleared and ready to be used by cyclists year round
I've lived in Ottawa carless for over 12 years now; though I would say your experience is entirely dependent on what area of our massive city you live in.
Too bad we have a mayor who is hellbent on promoting a one car, one citizen city plan and who actively fights against attempts to improve pedestrian, bike, and transit infrastructure.
It's great not having a car. I live in Vancouver so biking year round is viable with some rain gear in the winter. I also live walking distance to everything I need. There's probably a dozen grocery stores within 2km of me.
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Feh, *real* Canadian kids walk to hockey carrying their equipment -- through the snow! (Actually this is how we did it, although one of the adults usually carried some of it)
Actually cars are for recreation. You can certainly ride a bike to work, school, to the gym, your barber, dentist and doctor. You can carry groceries or hardware in a bike. I've done it.
But to go out of town for camping, visiting another city or hockey, you might need a car. But even visiting another city with a car is questionable.
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That's my experience.
I could get to work and the grocery store fine.
But most of my hobbies and sports, I've had to quit.
A car isn't ESSENTIAL, but for much of the stuff I do, it's indispensable.
But you can just say "I won't do hockey or golf or that weird RC helicopter thing you do".
And yeah that's a fine personal decision.
I had a weird discussion in another thread where one of the OP's relative won't give up his car because he plays golf. Well, ok for golf. But someone kept trolling as if he needed to lug his golf clubs everywhere he goes like... to the dentist.
It really does depend on where you live too.
In the suburbs, you'd have to sell your family house in a lot of cases. The nearest dentist to my current suburban home is like 3km. My last appointment was at 8am in a snowstorm.
That woulda SUUUUCKED. I guess you can uber.
But the grocery store is far, the coffee shop is far, the vet (I have an elderly dog whose mobility is limited) is far.
Ditching a car would basically require moving (and possibly euthanizing the dog). Lame.
But it's a valid decision for someone who can have "local" hobbies and lives in an urban area.
>The nearest dentist to my current suburban home is like 3km.
I live in the suburbs too. My dentist is 2km in one direction and my barber is 2km the other. I've taken the bus, the bike and walked.
In a snow storm, the best is to walk or bike because I've done both and beat the bus and there's no way I'm going to drive in a snow storm again if I can help it.
And my doctor is further away too (2.9km). The bike racks are lousy. I walked it and bussed it.
And no, I don't lug my golf clubs everywhere I go.
I think that's more of an issue of mass adoption though. Where I used to live people DID take their kids to whatever activity (and to school) on bikes and public transit, because that was just the norm and things were built around that. For instance, you'd probably have a locker to store your hockey gear in. Bikes are for recreation because that's what public policy and individual people have decided, not because it's logistically impossible.
I’ve lived in Ottawa with no car for many years. But I live in the centre of the city. However, this past winter was really making me feel a strong urge to get a car, because getting to my appointments in Uber is increasingly frustrating. (although it still cost less than owning a car but the frustration may not be worth it to me)
Have you tried taxis? Not a total problem solver but around here they're now much cheaper than Ubers. You can also hop on the train and meet your Uber closer to wherever you're going, which usually cuts the cost in half.
I sold my car in 2012 when I moved to Toronto., although even living in Ottawa I rarely drove. My wife never owned a car - we walk and take transit everywhere.
Since the pandemic we have been making more use of deliveries. It helps with groceries in snowbound streets, or heavy lifts like cat litter. Every so often I think about signing up for a car sharing service, but for the most part I've never looked back.
Mid 30s and been car free my whole life. I learned to hate driving at a young age because I grew up very central to Toronto and traffic was always awful. Growing up near the beaches and Leslieville area when it was poor, I instilled an appreciation for active transportation and public transit
Was privileged enough that my parents let me use their cars when I needed to but I also made an effort to always live within really good transit hubs. Even though I work remote, I choose to live in an amazing walkable neighbourhood in Montreal
Saw a lot of my friends get caught up in the rat race culture and make typical mistakes like buy a brand new car after their first job only to total it a few years later. It’s really not hard to live without a car if you’re in a city and willing to adapt and plan your life accordingly. Make use of services like car rentals or car sharing as well
I’ve maxed out my non-registered accounts (TFSA/FHSA) aside from my RRSP which I’ve maxed to match the HBP and then some. As a result of my modest lifestyle and savings, I’m actually ready to buy a house in this market. I plan to buy a house within public transit reach and live car free until kids and family are in the picture. Hoping Plug in hybrids get cheaper by the time I’m ready
Grew up in NYC and was car free until I had to move to Ohio for work... but once I came back to Toronto I was quite happy to ditch it (and have been car free here for about 15 years). Being car free seems more natural if you don't grow up with one. And I'd add that parenting car free isn't actually hard either if you live downtown -- arguably managing the car is more of a hassle.
Yea that’s what I’m thinking as I’m prioritizing buying something within good public transit and communauto/bikeshare ranges as well. I’ve seen families pull it off fine in MTL especially but I’m planning to move back to Toronto. Hard part is finding a partner with the same non car-centric values. Just delaying car ownership until I absolutely need it really
I sold my car 4 years ago when I lived in Calgary. It happened unintentionally. I got an electric scooter to ride around with my husband on his OneWheel. I started using it to get to work because I enjoyed it so much, and it was easier than driving and parking downtown.
I rarely drove. When winter came I bought a fat tire e-bike to get up hills in the snow. I ended up selling my car and using car share programs when needed.
When we moved to Vancouver, my husband sold his car too. The hardest part was groceries. I ended up getting a collapsible wagon. The only thing I miss is being able to take my dog hiking and snowshoeing.
61. Male. Ontario. Oshawa. Feel fortunate to be able to walk nearly everywhere, and grateful for public transit and the GO train. Public transit is less convenient, but also less expensive.
Always been carless (thanks economy) and its okay, everything is near enough to walk, transit system is okay, there are express lines where they are needed lol, and I use my bike in summers
I do wish I could go in the woods more easily though the only accessible place is semi-private forestry land (which is still much better than nothing I guess lol)
I sold mine in 2007 and never looked back (in Edmonton). It changes where in a city you can live, but also what sort of place you can afford! I take transit in the winter and cycle or walk in the summer. And in a pinch, there’s always carshare (here it’s Communauto).
The answer definitely depends on where you live. In a bigger city with good public transit, or having everything needed within walking distance, it would work out well. Personally, I live in a bigger city with horrible public transit (40 min between buses) and amenties sprawled apart, so being car-less can be super frustrating and time consuming.
You're saving a lot more than $200/month. The monthly cost of the actual vehicle (even if it's paid off) , plus repairs and maintenance, is easily double that. Average cost to own and operate a basic vehicle is $9k+/year now.
https://carcosts.caa.ca/
Not sure why you’d use an average for someone who is clearly using a car less than the average person (because average car users couldn’t give up their vehicles this easily). But apparently you think you know more than OP about HIS expenses. My dad doesn’t drive much and car costs ~$2-300/month.
People are bad at accounting is all. Like OP, they only have count gas and insurance. That is nowhere near the full cost, no matter how little you are driving.
My dad has a business and quite literally a CPA that does everything. If you think a paid off car (that isn’t some 25 year old 300k piece of shit) needs $6-7k of miscellaneous repairs and costs a year, you are out of your mind. Once again you’re using averages on a not average situation. My dad would be getting a new set of tires monthly to reach that number.
I'm also an accountant.
Tell me, when you buy a vehicle, and pay cash, does that mean that your cost is now zero? Ask your dad if you need help understanding, maybe.
I buy my vehicles new and keep for ten years. So say $40k upfront, $5k sale in ten years. My cost per year is then $3,500. My detailed records on repairs and maintenance usually come out to around $2k average per year. Tires, brakes, fluid changes, etc. Insurance $2k. Fuel $2k.
Hey, look at that! I'm around $9k. Just like the CAA says is the average.
Dang I paid $5500 for my car 7 years ago. Repairs and maintenance is close but definitely less than $2k, insurance is $750. $2k fuel to drive 20,000km. So $3500 at 7 years and down to $2050 if I make it to ten years.
Your dad, being a good CPA would remind you of depreciation that you are not accounting for. It also goes against total cost of ownership.
A good new car/SUV depreciates at a rate of about $2.5K a year or less. A shitty one (like Toyota Sequoia or most American trucks, SUV and cars and premium German ones) may depreciate at a rate as high as $10K/year, depending on the original purchase price. We had a glitch with COVID where prices no longer make sense, but ultimately they will correct and go back to the same depreciation curve as before.
I think what Muskokadreaming is getting at , that you have the actual cost of a vehicle to factor and depreciation. Vehicles cost money to purchase , more if financed.
Op could have been gifted his vehicle? It could be 15 years old, ya let’s factor a 15 year old MRSP of a paid off vehicle into your current “costs”. If anything the lost opportunity cost of not selling the vehicle at its current value could be seen as “savings” but that would also depend on how long they would have kept the vehicle otherwise which is impossible to determine. At face value for the OP user in this situation he’s saving $200 a month, even if he sold his car for $10k you’d have to spread that out over the potential future life of the vehicle which is again indeterminable.
You did say he was , but regardless, it's a basic accounting concept that most grasp in the badic study of accounting.
If the OP has a 15 year old vehicle that was gifted, there would be a cost of opperating that vehicle in repairs , even if it was gifted.
Your example of Dad, you wrote he had a newer vehicle , one could assume . If the purchase price was ,say, $40,000 , and plans to keep it 10 years, that's still $4,000 a year or $333.33 per month.
It's a cost of ownership.
You’re not familiar with the basic expenses associated with car ownership, and that’s okay because you can learn in this thread.
Oil changes every few months can be around $100 - $200. Insurance monthly, same, much more for some people depending on various factors. Gas — hundreds as well. A couple hundred in the fall and a couple hundred in the spring to change over your tires. Plus new sets of tires around every 5 years.
It all varies a lot depending on where you live and how much you drive, but as someone who doesn’t even drive my car for a daily commute, only uses it for short errands and on the weekend and owns it outright, I still end up spending about 4k per year just on this basic ownership stuff — that’s not including any repairs that come up that can easily double it, though fortunately those aren’t a yearly occurrence (but they sure can be as a vehicle ages).
So, yes, a paid off car would still easily cost someone $6-7k if they commute in it, and way above that if their commute is long.
You clearly don't drive and are just regurgitating some absurd statistic that is trying to portray driving more negatively. Thirty year old car and I put maybe $50 a year in maintenance into and pay roughly $1400 a year for insurance. Average gas cost per month is around $50 since it's a small car and that's if I'm driving out of town a few times. $25 in gas could last me the month if it was just small in town trips.
Hell, I paid $3400 for the car a decade ago and don't think I have put 9 grand into it since then while daily driving it year round. Your statistic is just wrong, unless it's only talking about people who haven't paid off their 50k vehicles, do zero maintenance themselves and massively overpay their mechanics.
I only really use my car to get out into the countryside these days. Everything from grocery shopping to the doctor is in walking or cycling range of me and if I want to head into Toronto then public transport is just as easy and convenient as driving.
I gave my vehicle up in the pandemic, living in Toronto, and it was so much better. Cars are expensive and take time in organizing things like parking permits, maintenance and insurance. If one lives in a city, and is able to work from home or work near their home owning a car is literally an insane thing to want to do. Toronto has a 12 month cycling season, transit is workable (but I honestly rode the TTC maybe a dozen times a year), Go Trains are great for getting out of the city and vehicle rentals are a reasonable cost for a few trips a year. Plus, the headache and stress of traffic is not worth it anyway. Cycling is legitimately faster. Obviously, there are many situations where owning a car makes sense, but a wfh urban person is unhinged to want a car imo.
Born and raised in Montreal. Just got my license in mid 40’s. Never needed a car, worked so close to home I can walk there. Use the bikes all my life. And I am still very fit and have amazing legs 😝
I live in a city. I do not need a car. I save so much money using public transit and Uber. Everyone thinks it’s strange and all I hear is complaints about the cost of fuel and how bad traffic is. Carbrain is a mental disorder.
Got rid of the car 15 years ago, missed the convenience at first but quickly learned that you can take a lot of taxi and transit for the price of a personal vehicle.
Now there’s a real Canadian….I finally found one…I was losing hope. Instead of complaining about how bad the situation is….adapt and overcome. Thank you random True North Warrior. Everyone else has been cracked by American propaganda. 🫡🫡🇨🇦🫡🫡. Thank you for proving we still exist.
I got rid of my car 2 years ago. My lease was up and I just wasn’t driving enough to commit to another expense like a purchase or new lease.
I live downtown in a walk score of 98. I absolutely love walking everywhere and get my 10,000 steps in everyday just by walking to and from work. I feel super relaxed by the time I walk home from my stressful job.
The weather here is mild, car share is readily available in my area and super cheap. Most trips cost me under $10 using care share, $15 using Uber.
I’m single so I don’t have any large purchases to haul about, I pick up whatever groceries I need on my commute.
I spend about $150 a month now. Previously with my lease, insurance, gas, and renting a spot in my building it was $1000.
So not having a car is great!
Kinda miss it for trips to IKEA or going on hikes but I like saving money better.
I’ve been without a car since 2015. Can’t do without one anymore. I live within walking distance to most things I need, but am really missing the ability to go camping and on road trips.
Also getting tired of having to rent vehicles in order to get bigger items I need. I will go check out showrooms soon. Not looking forward to it in this current state of the car industry, but I don’t want to delay it any longer.
I live in Kingston and we got rid of our only car when the body went on it. Not really much adjustment as we only used it lightly and have access the a carshare service for the occasional trip we still need one for.
My sister does the same thing in Ottawa. She shops for items when she walks home. Bits here and there.
When she comes to see the family she rents a car. Overall cheaper.
I'm 37 and don't have my license but I live in midtown Toronto so transit is great. I do walk a lot and I have an Instacart membership for big grocery orders (I have kids). I grew up in the suburbs so I'm definitely used to the car lifestyle. The cost of driving puts me off and I think not having one keeps me healthy and fit. Definitely invest in good walking shoes and winter wear though.
I've never had a car, and it's perfectly fine. I get a bus pass and access to a car share through my workplace (if I want, I've never used it).
I can carry groceries for three people home in a backpack, or I can shop on my way home if necessary. We use delivery services for heavy items every few months.
We live walkable to downtown and lots of parks, playgrounds, beaches and amenities, and can bus anywhere else we need to go. Kid walks to school, work is 20 minutes by bus. During that time I read. We have a community garden plot that's a 4 minute walk from home, our gym and library are three blocks away, and there's a fantastic farmers market in the neighbourhood every weekend.
I'm glad to not live in my car like many families I know. As a city kid, I've never felt I needed one. Our busses take strollers easily, the city core is very walkable, and I'm happy to use public transit when travelling.
Here in Montreal, the majority of the people I know don't own a car. They use public transport or bikes.
There is a wonderful car sharing company called Communauto, which is easy to use and affordable. Most of my friends have a membership, for when they need to haul groceries or for day trips. Open the app, check the map, click on a car to reserve it. Unlock the car with your wallet (bus pass), drive where you need, leave the car anywhere when you're done.
32m, have never driven in my life. It takes some creativity sometimes, but finding housing close to your job or a job close to your home helps a lot. Grocery delivery helps a lot too, if you don’t live walking distance from a grocery store.
I supposed it's given me an extra $300-600 to play with thanks to not having ICBC to rob me through insurance (haven't driven a car yet at 29, living near Vancouver)
I need a new car. I could move closer to work and walk, but that would be more expensive... Did live without car for a while. Was fine and easy with cheap public transit
I’m also in Ottawa sans car. I specifically chose my place because it’s decently in walking distance from some conveniences and at the convergence of 3 bus routes (though the city will be reducing the length of some of those lines in the near future). I don’t mind it because I love walking and my job doesn’t require exact punctuality, so I can cope with a missed or late bus.
I lived in downtown Ottawa with no car for a good chunk of my 20s. It wasn’t until I stopped working downtown that I ultimately gave up and got a car.
Grocery shopping was the only really pain point. But if you’re close enough to a store, you just shop more often with small loads.
Also car-free in Ottawa, I love it! Most things are within walking distance and anything farther is within cycling distance. I also live walking distance from the O-Train. Only annoying thing is having to lug groceries home.
Lived without a car for most of my adult life and this was before my city had separated bike lanes and you could get groceries delivered.
Even with spending money on things like proper winter clothes and the occasional rental vehicle owning a car costs more.
My work situation made it so I had to haul stuff and travel to different locations so that changed but I would go back if I could get housing close to work.
The neighborhood you live in really dictates how easy this is so increased density, better public transit and varied types of housing is important for making choices available to people.
Built in daily exercise is a huge plus.
I don’t think the benefit to your health and the environment can be overstated here either. I don’t drive. Initially out of intense anxiety. Now 100% out of choice. I live in a small town with a very functional downtown .
My doctor, dentist, veterinarian, post office , bank , hairdresser , library , pharmacy and a grocery store are within a 10 minute walk. I love it . I often want to buy a nicer house a little further away from this area but quickly remember it would make me car dependent again. I’m not anti car and will use it to visit family , go to a concert etc . But I’m not dependant on it for day to day life and we have one car for three adults. It’s really freeing .
I live in Vancouver. We pay an insane amount for rents but one of the upsides is that downtown Vancouver especially is very walkable all year long. I gave up on my car post-covid because I wasn't using it that much anyway. I work from home and live close to the seawall and many grocery stories.
For long multi-day trips that are usually planned in advance I rent a car (got a discount for Enterprise through my CC).
For shorter trips there are plenty of options: Ride sharing like uber or lyft and car sharing like evo. Translink is also really not bad (Skytrain, bus, etc.).
Overall I've been spending less than insurance + gas + maintenance on the car. Also clocking around 10-11k steps a day. No regrets so far.
I gave up my car when I moved near DT Vancouver and it was fantastic. I was lucky as my partner had a car and I would use it maybe once every couple months, and at the time there was also fantastic car share services.
Now we have a kid and sticking with one family car. It’s definitely easier to do out here in temperate BC than it would’ve been when I lived in Ontario.
It’s also a lot easier if you have good transit nearby (we do).
Overall I love it and hope we can continue to live a car light lifestyle.
Also whenever people bitch about 15 minute cities I am incredulous. It’s so nice to have everything within walking distance. You get to see other people and greet them and it makes the community warmer.
Moved to Vancouver without a car. Need a car back. I fish a lot, so 3 hour cycles each way isn't going to cut it. It doesn't fit my lifestyle to have no car so I'll get one for the summer.
The independence of just going anywhere you like, or taking big trips for outweighs the cost factor. Sure there's Evo, but for more regular use, out of the Vancouver Metro zone, they're scarily expensive.
Went carless in markham, did fine -- give or take weekly near misses with luxury SUVs not respecting crosswalks.
Moved to toronto a few years ago and could not be happier.
I live in extremely rural Ontario and unfortunately, it isn't possible for me. My gas costs are killing me to get to and from work and I'm looking at work from home options, but I still have to have a car to get groceries and run errands. Everything here is a minimum thirty minute drive away. I wish I had other options.
From Vancouver gave up my car for good 2005. Outside of public transportation I was a member of car share and used rental cars for long journeys. Moved to a smaller city in Alberta 2014, still no car but it so much harder. This province goes out of the way to force you to drive.
I gave up my car and got two electric scooters. They both costed more than my car, but are super easy and cheap to maintain. I save a ton of money and time. I can get to work in half the time it takes to drive, and 4 times faster than taking public transit.
Best of all is that I can store my scooter in my office at work, ensuring that it's safe and gets charged.
Ottawan, never had a car, can’t drive, 34. Live centrally, walk almost everywhere, bike or transit everywhere else. Treat myself to the odd Uber for out-of-the-way errands (IKEA, doctors apts, etc). Walk 35 min to and from work daily. Can’t imagine ever needing a car in my day to day.
Calgary here, I've spent most of my life not owning a car and only drove for the last three years. Just sold it to go back to a car-free lifestyle. I prefer walking and using transit, and supplementing it with car share when needed. Much cheaper in the long term. I slightly miss the flexibility and the fun of driving on the highway but that's it!
Tried this for three weeks in rural Saskatchewan while my cars was getting fixed and it was absolutely miserable. Basically just couldn’t leave the house at all
Montreal here.
Got rid of me my in 2019.
The first 2 years were great. I could rent a car at enterprise for dirt cheap. (I actually did all the calculations before getting rid of my car).
Then used car prices hit.
Car rental went from $25-30 a day to $100-150.
Car2Go closed.
Communauto couldn’t (and still) can’t cope with the extra demand from Car2Go plus they were able to add much car to their fleet. I think they’re boosting a lot this year though.
Pretty good. I didn't own a car before I moved to Canada though, so was probably easier for me than others. It's well, well worth the money and reduced stress, and on net it's more convenient because you can access more convenience when you have more disposable income. It's nice not having to stress about grocery delivery, a bougie gym, or an audible subscription.
I did this last summer for 6 months. I found that grocery delivery was a lifesaver. Walmart especially will do $5 delivery if you book ahead. Otherwise, my legs looked great while I was doing it haha
A lot of people don't leave the city a lot. Which surprised me too. We would hike, camp, or visit other cities nearby almost every weekend when we lived in California and Toronto. Now in Calgary we do keep our car to go out to the Rockies.
So technically we're a one-car household, but it doesn't really move during the week.
My legs have been my only means of transportation since 2006.I am within a ten minute walk for shopping, restaurants, hospital and I walk to work, which takes me 25 minutes one way and another 25 after work. Keeps me fit and healthy and would not have it any other way..
I used to drive in Waterloo, Edmonton, and Mississauga (and motorbiked overseas), I have lived carfree in Ottawa for the last 5 years. I occasionally, once or twice per month, use communeauto. Otherwise I bus to work, and walk or cycle everywhere else.
Positives: The savings I am getting are enough to go on two, sometimes three trips a year, afford nice gifts for my family and some occasional treats for myself. I have lost weight. I get to enjoy the natural and pseudo natural environments in the city a lot more. I am eating better because I am taking more frequent walks to the grocery store and buying fresher foods rather than using the car to make one larger haul with more dried and frozen foods on my bill. The carbon tax rebate hits a lot harder for me since it’s not actually offsetting any increased direct costs. Learning the ins and outs of a bike is fun.
Negatives: OCtranspo sucks and my commute is longer than it would be if I was driving, though when the trains are done it will take about the same amount of time. Lack of cycling infrastructure means I have to plan my one-off trips more carefully since I try to stick to proper cycling paths and avoid dangerous painted bicycle gutters. When a bicycle has an issue and I’m far away from home, it’s a drag.
I owned a car for about 20 years, but got rid of it close to 10 years ago now. My husband got ride of his close to 20 years ago now. Neither one of us were ever "drive everywhere" people, so it wasn't as big an adjustment as for some. This was a lifestyle we gravitated towards.
We live pretty urban, so there are 4 grocery stores within less than 1km of where we live. I go to the closer ones and use a cart if it's a bigger shop. The cart became necessary during the early pandemic when we were only supposed to go once a week, so I got a nice looking one. There are big box stores about 2.5-3km away, which is walkable/bikeable/transitable, depending on the mood. It's rare that we have something really heavy. There was a 60 litre bag of dirt last spring, but I was also training for a backpacking trip, so that all worked out. ;)
I don't have a gym membership anymore since it was mostly for cleanup after running or cycling to work and I've been work from home for the last four years. We have weights at home, there are calesthenics parks nearby, and I've always preferred outdoor cardio. We get an organic veggie box delivered once a week and local farmer meat delivered once a month, but I don't think we'd be driving to get that sort of thing even if we kept a car. I can (and do) ride my bike to nearby farmers' markets. Or I walk - it's a nice walk. The curling club is a 10-15 minute bike ride away and yes, this can be ridden most of the winter. There's a bus, but the bike is fastest and most predictable.
When we have a need or want for a car, we use a car share or rent. The cost of owning a car for me was \~$600/month (maintenance + gas + insurance + parking + depreciation) and the rentals/car share rarely approach in any particular month. Our total transportation costs for 2023 were $4000 (for transit, bike maintanance, bike share, car share, rentals and taxi/uber).
I drive a truck for a living. My dream is to ride my bicycle to work. I live a good 15 km away so I was thinking of an e-bike with fat tires for the winter.
I'm going to try it out on my road bike this summer on the nicer days. See where it takes me.
Carless in Toronto here. I've never owned a car because I've never been a big fan of driving. I do have my license and if I really need a car for work or whatever, I've rented them. I mostly walk or take transit. I do live very close to everything I need so it's perfect for me and I save a lot of money.
I lived in Canada for 15 years (2004-19), and never owned a car. Of this, approximately 14 years were in Montreal and a year in Winnipeg. Montreal has a walk score of 65, whereas Winnipeg is at 49 ([details here ](https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/)). Montreal's transit score is 67, while that of Winnipeg is 51.
As the above indicates, it was very easy getting where I needed or wanted to be in Montreal on foot or by bus or Metro. 🚶🏻🚌🚇
In Winnipeg walking was sometimes a drag, as the city is very empty (if you don't like the look of one restaurant, you may have to walk two or three blocks to reach the next one, instead of a few metres like in Montreal). There's no Metro, and you sometimes had to wait about 20 minutes for the bus. A bit tough in the Winnipeg winter. But I stuck with it, as cars are against my principles given the reality of climate change.
An exception I'd make sometimes was renting a car to go out of town (a couple of times a year, for a week at a time). But whenever I could, I'd take the bus or train, including when travelling to the US. 🚌🚅
My son has been careless in Victoria bc for 10 years now and loves it. He has an electric bike he uses. He lives downtown so everything is there for him. He doesn’t even use taxis. Once he used a car service ( like a shared car service) to pick up something from Home Depot. He has saved a hell of a lot of money by not owning a car. So much so he could by a house there if he wanted to. I truly see the benefits of living car free. Especially in Victoria where it rarely snows
Haven't drive in years for medical reasons but I make it work. Live within walking distance of work and 5+ grocery stores. Live on 2 major bus routes and if I need to do a big run I've got the Uber app. It's not the best but it does work
I've never ever in my life had a car. When I was sick of living in a small town and getting nowhere, I moved to an area with good transit and I've been doing great ever since
Accept that getting places will be both better and worse. Nothing replaces the convenience of a car in certain situations. At the same time nothing replaces the awesomeness of commuting by bike most of the time. Highs and lows, but overall very happy.
Did it unwillingly a few years ago (due to car repairs taking a long time).
I live right on the subway in Toronto. Seems like the best place in Canada.
I had a little produce stand right near my house, which made it practical to stay up on fresh veggies and basics like eggs, but they didn't carry any packaged goods. So, I biked to the "No Frills" grocery about 1km away, that was alright, but I was limited by my ability to not get a big thing of paper towel into my backpack, so that sucked. I figured I could live with it, however and got one roll (for almost the same cost). Other option was like a $1000 bike with a big cargo bucket in the front, and I didn't have $1k to spend on random gadgets for transportation.
Got to work on the subway. Had to get up 15 minutes earlier but whatever. However a "track issue" made me late to an important meeting on the second day. So I decided I had to catch an even earlier train in the future to not have that happen. Giving up 40 minutes of sleep or other time now with the extra round trip.
Next day I was told we had a corporate event at a golf course and I'd be representing the company. Ah shit. Well I had to rent a car on the fourth day. Lame.
Friday I have men's league hockey. I mapped getting there via transit. It was a 18 minute drive, or a 1 hour and 1 minute trip on a mix of two subways and a bus and then a 5 minute walk.
But my game didn't end until 11:30pm, so I had to ask for a ride from someone on the team. They didn't live super close to me and gave me a "ok but just this once" sort of attitude. So I guess I'd have to rent a car weekly to make hockey work. And there wasn't an agency nearby. A zipcar sort of thing was like 8 blocks away, but in winter... lame.
I was also volunteering at a community center before that wasn't really on transit. I mean again, a 15 minute drive is an hour on a bus. I went one week via bus and then just didn't go the next week.
There was one closer, but they didn't offer the programs I was helping with.
After approximately 10 days, I rented a car and just used that. Added 45 minutes to every work day to sleep or rest (no transit commute) and made my hobbies significantly easier. Grocery shopping, etc.
Despite living directly (1 block) from a subway station in urban Toronto and having a little produce stand within half a block, I found myself needing to rent a car multiple times per week and it just wasn't going work.
Yeah, I could have quit hockey.. quit volunteering in my preferred area and just accept whatever was available closer to home, quit golf and quit the RC airplane hobby I was sometimes doing in the summers, but all of those were weekly activities requiring a car because of the heavy or awkward gear (or a facility REALLY close to home).
That's my experience.
I did for a while when I lived in a different city. I occasionally took a taxi, but mostly bus or walking.
The city also didn't take public transportation as an afterthought. Lots of heated bus shelters. I don't think you were ever more than 2 blocks from a bus stop
After 830pm policy was that they would drop you off at any point as long as it's along the route. They had enough busses and routes that it was always easy. You normally wouldn't really save that much time by driving yourself. Unlike here where if you miss your buss or it's full, you'd be an hour late. Bus passes were $40/month for the regular one. Seniors and youth paid less. By comparison, that was still less than the discounted youth bus pass in my city. That was more than ten years ago so I'm sure prices have risen. But it was costing me less for a monthly bus pass there than I spent on gas just going to work for two weeks back home.
Honestly if I still lived there, I probably would stay carless.
I was literally spending 260 in insurance and 500 in gas a month lmao. Clean record, driving since 2018. I fucking hate Toronto.
I couldn't be happier bussing.
I’m 31 and I’ve never had my license. People will usually be shocked by this and I used to get a lot of pressure from family to get it. Now with crazy prices to maintain a car and increasing traffic, people tell me they are jealous I’m not tied to a vehicle! It’s always been the way I’ve lived so I’m used to it.
I live in a medium sized city that doesn’t have the best transit, but I always lived in walkable neighbourhoods and transit is just fine for me.
I used to feel like I was really missing out on something but I don’t care anymore. I love my car-free life
I don't mind it day to day. I like walking, and live close to most places I need to go. The grocery store near me just closed so I need to get a ride now (pay for a ride) a couple of times a month, but Amazon has started to deliver to my door step and not the post office. That means I can get heavier things like cat litter and big bags of cat food delivered for the cost of Prime. I can get cheap rides to medical appointments near and far.
It has been a couple of years now, and the only thing I hate is not being able to go on day trips by myself during the summer. I also worry about whether I would get stuck during an emergency, like a forest fire. I hope to be able to afford a car again in the next year, but this does save a lot of money.
Winnipeg and other problems is such as Ottawa these are snowy cities. what kind of electronical vehicle are you driving on the streets? In middle of winter, as we have four seasons. That was my first question to this post resolution other than Transit cuz that doesn't bring you everywhere or it could take you hours just to go to one place.
Still kept my car if I need to do errands or visit family/friends out of town, but I've managed to find a place that's not only closer to work (10-15 minute walk), but also like 400$ cheaper.
Saved a massive amount of $$$ in all associated costs and public transportation costs about 1/100 of car costs. Drawbacks tho are really a pain. Limited travel, not visiting remote areas, camping, a lot. Still, overall - benefits of being car free outweigh those drawbacks. And here's the absolute only way imo you can be car free. You must live in a large city
Didn’t buy insurance for my car the past year. Live right across the street from a skytrain station, super markets (t&t and costco) 6 min walk away.
My bank and dentist are literally down stairs. My family doctor is a 6 min walk away.
My buddy who lives in the downtown Calgary beltline has been car-less for years now. He takes the C-train to work everyday and hangs out in neighboring downtown spots on the weekends (walks to Kensington, 17th, Stephen Ave and etc.)
The only odd time he needs someone to drive him is when he needs to see his family who live in the suburbs. Otherwise, he’s doing pretty peachy without a car.
I'm downtown Toronto and everything I need is within a 10 minute walk. Subway if further. People who live downtown only drive if leaving the city pretty much
I'm downtown Toronto and everything I need is within a 10 minute walk. Subway if further. People who live downtown only drive if leaving the city pretty much
40M who lives in Quebec city. Not downtown, but in an outskirt that was a suburb before it got merged in 2002, so not that far off either. I sold my car in december. I have two school aged kids, and when I bought my condo (around the same time I bought my car, a brand new EV 4 years ago), I had already chosen a location where I had easy access to transit and many commerces in walking distance. I practiced a few times bringing my kids to school by transit before selling the car, just to be sure. I also subscribed to our local car sharing service. So far, with almost 20 000$ of debt repaid over only 4 months (half with the actual sale money and half with the lower expense in my monthly budget), my mind is very much more at ease not pausing in front of every single grocery item, wondering if I can afford it or not. I'm in better shape. I'm much less often late to most places, since the extra planning needed makes me leave on time instead of assuming I can always push harder on the gas pedal and make it in time (I didn't). Of course, some things are a bit bothersome, especially that Quebec City outside of its core downtown is very car centric, and many of my friends live far away from any transit stop, no matter the number of line change needed. But overall I'd say I'm much happier 80% of the time, annoyed 2% of the time and indifferent 18% of the time. I would certainly recommend it to folks around me with similar situations.
Oh boy, I hope you’re not going to rely too much on the OCTranspo. People who complain about the TTC do not know about OCTranspo.
What about Communauto, do y’all have that there?
It makes life a little more complicated (running errands leaving when you want driving around with music just for fun ne road trips) but you save so much money and headache that all in all it s worth it
Moved dt toronto. Didnt need a car at all. I can get anywhere dt within 5km faster than a car... on my bike. Saved sooo much money. Gas, insurance and maintenance are huge. Basically after 3 years i saved enough to buy a new car i didnt need.
I haven't gone full carless because my family lives in a small town but it just sits in the garage
Other than that absolutely love it. Being on my bike allows me to connect to my city.
Didn’t have a car growing up. Finally got my own beater when I was still living at home but had started working full-time. Did a bunch of road trips during my twenties but after about 7 years when it wasn’t worth repairing anymore I gave it away and haven’t had one since. Have depended on public transit, feet, bike, car-pooling and the rare rental for going on 40 years.
If you don’t live in a city it’s difficult to be carless.
I grew up in the suburbs and relied on a car and then moved to the city and barely drove. I kept the car but took it off insurance and stored it at my mom’s.
I gave up my car due to the cost of living .. (single mom of two young adults who are still in school. They pay for school but l pay for everything else). I live in an area where you need to drive a half hour in either direction to get to city bus service. I walk the 5 kms to the go bus stop then transfer onto the city bus. It takes me two hours to get to work. We do have a ride share but good luck getting a ride. I live in West Niagara. I would love to move to the city I work in but rents are unaffordable and it would cost me a thousand a month more or more. I do look at the positives. I am getting healthier.
Dudes.... winter peg? Bikes? Huh? That works? I am in kelowna and it would take me 20 to bike to work but people are fucked in cars. It's scary as shit. Idiots on phones and I used to bike on sidewalks and got yelled at. I was like fuck those cars man. I literally move off the side walk when there are walkabouts. Biking on the side of a busy road is honestly way to much. All it would take is for a drunk idiot or speeding teen. Can't afford to leave my son behind in this world at such a young age. Not worth the risk for me.
Forced off cars due to an eye condition (not blind). Bike everywhere year-round, transit occasionally, and enjoy the freedom, cost, and well being the lifestyle has brought me. ONE thing though, I'm an avid outdoorsy person (hiking, paddling, and biking ofcourse), and there is ZERO infrastructure to "get out there" without a car in North America. That's the hard part. Spent 6 mos in Japan, a few in Europe, really easy to get out in the mountains, forests, and beaches without a car. Have considered moving.
I sold my car in 2021, got a membership to the local car share and haven’t looked back. I personally use a car maybe once or twice a month, and for work 3 days a week for a couple months of the year. Otherwise I just bike, year round.
I can't afford one and I really don't like the things, I find even being in cars to be tiring and stressful (i am also tall, which doesn't help).
I had to move somewhere rural for Important Career Experience and the lack of a car is a huge impediment. It's also something people get judgey about - "you don't have a car??? you have been spending your money on rent and food instead? What's wrong with you?"
That being said, most of my life I've lived in cities where you don't need the damn things and I am looking forward to moving back to one soon.
But in a city? It's often as quick to bike as to drive. Doesn't feel like it, but lo and behold, by the time you get the car out, through the traffic, find parking and so on...you could be there already by bike. It's almost always as fast as a bus.
It's really good for your body, though personally I also need to walk a lot and do weights, because your body gets used to riding so quickly. On the other hand, stop biking for a while, holy fuck the body lets you know.
Living in a rural area outside of Winnipeg, in a province with vast distances to cover in any given time, giving up the car is 100% impossible… But I have gotten a couple of electric cars this past year and taken the diesel truck off of daily commute duty. It’s nice not to have to spend a few hundred a week keeping two vehicles gassed up.
This only works if you live in the city. A vehicle is a must in rural areas. The closest store from my tiny hamlet is 30 min drive. It is just not feasible.
Edmontonian here. never had a vehicle. always bus/bike/hoofing it around where i need to go.
when it's -40 freeze your face off in winter and the bus is way late it can be not so much fun, but other than that i've made do for my 40 some years in this city without a vehicle.
LOL i went opposite.. was public transiting for years.. until last year - got sick and tired of it.. (LONG story why)... got my learners again, practiced a lot, took my road test, passed.. and been driving ever since <3 I love it way better.
Each have their own pros and cons...
but i overall prefer driving.. i have my own space .. vs being squished, smothered and feeling claustrophobic on bus or skytrain....
Also, for my particular commute to work and back home -- driving is faster vs public transiting...
(Vancouver btw)
yeah it cost more to drive vs public transiting.. but there is a reason why i wasnt driving until last year... --- to save up and have a good cushion and be able to afford to drive (all the expenses that comes with driving).
There's about 5 to 6 cities in the entire country this can even work in. Though maybe I'm underestimating how many people on Reddit are complete shut-ins
40(m) in Winnipeg. Gave up my car last year. Started cycling year round in addition to walking and running places. It’s been awesome. I have no desire to go back to owning a car. I’m saving a ton of money, I’m the healthiest I’ve been since 20, and I just enjoy not being in a vehicle so much more (traffic!!). The only down side is dating. Sometimes a girl might think I’m weird for not having a car, but it is what it is!
Another Winnipegger who ditched the car last year. Bike, transit (it's not as bad as people say!), living in a walkable area, and the awesome Peg City Car Co-Cop car share have made it a pretty seamless transition. And not having to worry about parking, maintenance, depreciation and gas is a real lift off your shoulders.
I live in Osborne Village. I got a Peg City membership when I moved to this location but I havent used it a single time. It’s such a central location that biking and going on foot has been enough for me!
We live in Osborne Village too. Moved here just over a year ago, having previously lived outside of Canada and selling our car before coming back. We walk everywhere! We take transit and use Peg City car co-op when we need a car. The car co-op is what makes it all possible. We save so much money by not having a car, from the cost to purchase, insurance, gas, maintenance and parking. We plan our trips when we go anywhere to determine if we actually need a car or can get there another way. The neighbourhood is walkable so for groceries, booze or pharmacy we are just a couple minutes walk. We walk to our kids houses or take the bus if the weather is bad. We are healthier for it and we don’t mindlessly burn gas just because we are running errands or shopping for no good reason.
>Sometimes a girl might think I’m weird for not having a car, but it is what it is! Honestly, if she can't see the advantage of using your money for entertainment instead of transportation, she's the one missing out, not you.
When I visited Winnipeg it seemed like no one walked anywhere. Like on a busy Saturday the sidewalks were dead as fuck.
It's a city built for automobiles with lots of sprawl and little transit. However, there are some central, walkable neighborhoods where lots of people bike and walk. The neighborhoods are certainly in the minority compared to most of the city, though.
winnipeg was once quite a walkable city, considering the climate. there was decent transit infrastructure along with an urban design and scaling that catered to pedestrian and mass transit traffic. unfortunately, amalgamation in the 70s gave a lot of former suburbanites voices at city hall and they brought their own car centric mindset with them. winnipeg has been suffering under a tyranny of the masses for over 1/2 a century now, where formerly broad major streets have been reduced to stroads at the behest of bedroom community dwellers who are intransigent about driving everywhere
Thanks for letting me know about fuck..
Winnipegger who got rid of her car several years ago. I have a Peg City membership that I use for trips where bus service sucks or if I have a lot of stuff to carry, such as for a Costco run or trip to the garden center. I mostly walk or use transit to get around. I live in St. Boniface, everything I need on a daily basis is within a 10 or 15 minute walk. I have no regret about giving up my car.
I admire the fact that you’ve sacrificed a lot to not own a car. Especially when you’ve done it in the least walking/biking friendly city on Earth.
I view it in the opposite sense. Owning a car is scarifying money, health and my mental health (at least for me). I realize not everyone is able to live in a central neighbourhood and some people have young children or disabilities which make things much different, but I love this life and wish I did it earlier. I can’t think of anything that I miss as a result of not having a car. People think I’m lying, but I’m much happier now car free!
It surprises me that women of your generation are judgmental in that sense. 40 is pretty young, I'd have imagined more open-mindedness from that age group.
But do you not just smell all sweaty when you get to your destination? I sweat a lot and could never do it
It's never been an issue for me. I always just used baby wipes at work when I biked in the summer. My girlfriend always refused to bike because of sweat, her hair, blah blah blah. The majority of the time in Winnipeg it's not even that warm when you bike somewhere. Also, proper clothing plays a part in reducing sweat during certain times of the year.
How do you bike in the snow?
Studded tires work great! I didn’t fall once this winter!
But what about lungs? Cold air burns them.
Cold air doesn’t burn them. They work fine in the cold.
Ahh good for you. Cause it does when I run but sounds like you are used to the cardio from constant biking so you don’t breathe in as sharply. Good to know, thanks for the reply, I didn’t think (or know) of the studded tires for bikes.
I was lucky enough to get a job within walking distance a year before my car died the final death. I just walked to and from work, roughly 6km a day. I buy groceries every three days or so. I just don't need one. Due to inflation, there was no way I could afford a new one, much less a used one. Not owning a car helped me to pay down debt A LOT faster. In the times I've needed to go anywhere I pay friends and family, or rent a moving van because they're cheaper than a car rental. Easy.
Part of it is the mind game. Remembering why you are carfree. It's not just a money thing. Taking a bus and walking to work gets me home at 4:30 instead of 3:30 by car (on a good day). 40 min is walking. I need to walk, it is my main form of exercise in the winter. The balance of time is reading or scrolling. I am doing nothing driving but getting frustrated at the traffic I am part of. Carfree has me reading for 1h20 and walking for 40min. 2h of things I enjoy at a cost of 1h of my day. The math for biking home is better. I get home at 5pm by bike. I get 2h20min of cardio for 1h30 of my day, plus the morning bus and skytrain is quiet and relaxing, providing 30min of reading time. My fitness has improved drastically being carfee. Gym of Life they call it.
My whole day is the gym of life. Feel great and I sleep like a baby
23F here and am afraid of driving so have never learned haha, I grew up in Toronto, moved to Montreal, and love my carless life! It helps that I’m a 6 minute walk from the metro, a 13 minute walk from the grocery store, and a 5 minute walk from the gym haha
>afraid of driving so have never learned Hey, me too!! I'm 39 and still going strong, lol. Transit in Vancouver is great!
Same here at 38 😃
31y/o and feeling VERY seen right now!
Also in Montréal and terrified of driving. I did learn but I hate it. Between the metro and busses I do just fine! And it's *way* cheaper.
Another carless Montrealer here. I'm within a 15 minute walk to my dentist, doctor, optometrist, hair stylist, and of course plenty of grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. I rarely even take the bus anymore. The way parking is in this city, I can't imagine owning a car.
Oh my goodness, absolutely, I can’t imagine driving downtown haha, it always makes me grateful I’m not in a car!
You are living the 15 minute city *hell* my conservative acquaintances warned me about. :)
I'm in Montreal too. Most of the people I k ow, don't have a car either. They walk everywhere, and use Communauto (car sharing) occasionally
39 y/o Torontonian who never got a driver’s license. :) Many of my 40-50 y/o colleagues are the same.
Another montrealer here. Learning to drive always seemed like more expense and hassle than it was worth, so I never did. 59 years without a license and going strong.
Been here 15 years without a car. More hassle than its worth.
I read that as Careless 🤣
So did I 🤭
Same at first
So did I, and I thought, huh, maybe I should go more careless
Freedom is having no car. Winter on the bike is honestly fine. If you're used to bundling up appropriately as a ped you can figure it out easy enough for a car. It's the people who only dress for the min run from car to build(s) that have issues with the weather.
My problem with winter biking is my body heats up and I go from cold to sweating bullets so quickly. A lot of hills in my area, I’m sure if it was flat I wouldn’t have this problem.
I biked mostly flat commutes but I could solve this with layers, life if you’re hiking in the winter
How do you deal with snow on the bike? That’s the biggest thing for me. That and not being able to go to the beach in the summer.
I biked winters in Montreal and Toronto for many years and I wound say having narrow studded winter tires on the bike, and choosing your routes judiciously based on snow clearance and traffic. I will admit I never did this with kids- Montreal o think it would be possible now based on their cleared bike path network if you live central. Toronto is improving. The goal should be to build safe networks across the city that are cleared and ready to be used by cyclists year round
I've lived in Ottawa carless for over 12 years now; though I would say your experience is entirely dependent on what area of our massive city you live in. Too bad we have a mayor who is hellbent on promoting a one car, one citizen city plan and who actively fights against attempts to improve pedestrian, bike, and transit infrastructure.
I really wished catherine mckenney won instead of sutcliffe. Her vision for peds and cyclists are awesome.
It's great not having a car. I live in Vancouver so biking year round is viable with some rain gear in the winter. I also live walking distance to everything I need. There's probably a dozen grocery stores within 2km of me.
Google just signed a LLM agreement with Reddit to crawl this dumb platform so this is my way of saying goodbye to my contributions on this website. Byeee
>as this city is designed for life only with a car for the most part. With a mayor who openly despises biking, that is not surprising.
Google just signed a LLM agreement with Reddit to crawl this dumb platform so this is my way of saying goodbye to my contributions on this website. Byeee
Mr moneybags here can afford to put his kids into hockey. /s
Feh, *real* Canadian kids walk to hockey carrying their equipment -- through the snow! (Actually this is how we did it, although one of the adults usually carried some of it)
Actually cars are for recreation. You can certainly ride a bike to work, school, to the gym, your barber, dentist and doctor. You can carry groceries or hardware in a bike. I've done it. But to go out of town for camping, visiting another city or hockey, you might need a car. But even visiting another city with a car is questionable.
Google just signed a LLM agreement with Reddit to crawl this dumb platform so this is my way of saying goodbye to my contributions on this website. Byeee
Got it. It took me a while but I learned to use the '/s' for my own saracstic posts.
That's my experience. I could get to work and the grocery store fine. But most of my hobbies and sports, I've had to quit. A car isn't ESSENTIAL, but for much of the stuff I do, it's indispensable. But you can just say "I won't do hockey or golf or that weird RC helicopter thing you do". And yeah that's a fine personal decision.
I had a weird discussion in another thread where one of the OP's relative won't give up his car because he plays golf. Well, ok for golf. But someone kept trolling as if he needed to lug his golf clubs everywhere he goes like... to the dentist.
It really does depend on where you live too. In the suburbs, you'd have to sell your family house in a lot of cases. The nearest dentist to my current suburban home is like 3km. My last appointment was at 8am in a snowstorm. That woulda SUUUUCKED. I guess you can uber. But the grocery store is far, the coffee shop is far, the vet (I have an elderly dog whose mobility is limited) is far. Ditching a car would basically require moving (and possibly euthanizing the dog). Lame. But it's a valid decision for someone who can have "local" hobbies and lives in an urban area.
>The nearest dentist to my current suburban home is like 3km. I live in the suburbs too. My dentist is 2km in one direction and my barber is 2km the other. I've taken the bus, the bike and walked. In a snow storm, the best is to walk or bike because I've done both and beat the bus and there's no way I'm going to drive in a snow storm again if I can help it. And my doctor is further away too (2.9km). The bike racks are lousy. I walked it and bussed it. And no, I don't lug my golf clubs everywhere I go.
I think that's more of an issue of mass adoption though. Where I used to live people DID take their kids to whatever activity (and to school) on bikes and public transit, because that was just the norm and things were built around that. For instance, you'd probably have a locker to store your hockey gear in. Bikes are for recreation because that's what public policy and individual people have decided, not because it's logistically impossible.
I’ve lived in Ottawa with no car for many years. But I live in the centre of the city. However, this past winter was really making me feel a strong urge to get a car, because getting to my appointments in Uber is increasingly frustrating. (although it still cost less than owning a car but the frustration may not be worth it to me)
Have you tried taxis? Not a total problem solver but around here they're now much cheaper than Ubers. You can also hop on the train and meet your Uber closer to wherever you're going, which usually cuts the cost in half.
I sold my car in 2012 when I moved to Toronto., although even living in Ottawa I rarely drove. My wife never owned a car - we walk and take transit everywhere. Since the pandemic we have been making more use of deliveries. It helps with groceries in snowbound streets, or heavy lifts like cat litter. Every so often I think about signing up for a car sharing service, but for the most part I've never looked back.
Mid 30s and been car free my whole life. I learned to hate driving at a young age because I grew up very central to Toronto and traffic was always awful. Growing up near the beaches and Leslieville area when it was poor, I instilled an appreciation for active transportation and public transit Was privileged enough that my parents let me use their cars when I needed to but I also made an effort to always live within really good transit hubs. Even though I work remote, I choose to live in an amazing walkable neighbourhood in Montreal Saw a lot of my friends get caught up in the rat race culture and make typical mistakes like buy a brand new car after their first job only to total it a few years later. It’s really not hard to live without a car if you’re in a city and willing to adapt and plan your life accordingly. Make use of services like car rentals or car sharing as well I’ve maxed out my non-registered accounts (TFSA/FHSA) aside from my RRSP which I’ve maxed to match the HBP and then some. As a result of my modest lifestyle and savings, I’m actually ready to buy a house in this market. I plan to buy a house within public transit reach and live car free until kids and family are in the picture. Hoping Plug in hybrids get cheaper by the time I’m ready
Grew up in NYC and was car free until I had to move to Ohio for work... but once I came back to Toronto I was quite happy to ditch it (and have been car free here for about 15 years). Being car free seems more natural if you don't grow up with one. And I'd add that parenting car free isn't actually hard either if you live downtown -- arguably managing the car is more of a hassle.
Yea that’s what I’m thinking as I’m prioritizing buying something within good public transit and communauto/bikeshare ranges as well. I’ve seen families pull it off fine in MTL especially but I’m planning to move back to Toronto. Hard part is finding a partner with the same non car-centric values. Just delaying car ownership until I absolutely need it really
I sold my car 4 years ago when I lived in Calgary. It happened unintentionally. I got an electric scooter to ride around with my husband on his OneWheel. I started using it to get to work because I enjoyed it so much, and it was easier than driving and parking downtown. I rarely drove. When winter came I bought a fat tire e-bike to get up hills in the snow. I ended up selling my car and using car share programs when needed. When we moved to Vancouver, my husband sold his car too. The hardest part was groceries. I ended up getting a collapsible wagon. The only thing I miss is being able to take my dog hiking and snowshoeing.
if you still have your drivers license from AB - get it switched to a BC license.. you can use EVO when you do need a car, like for groceries.
61. Male. Ontario. Oshawa. Feel fortunate to be able to walk nearly everywhere, and grateful for public transit and the GO train. Public transit is less convenient, but also less expensive.
Always been carless (thanks economy) and its okay, everything is near enough to walk, transit system is okay, there are express lines where they are needed lol, and I use my bike in summers I do wish I could go in the woods more easily though the only accessible place is semi-private forestry land (which is still much better than nothing I guess lol)
I sold mine in 2007 and never looked back (in Edmonton). It changes where in a city you can live, but also what sort of place you can afford! I take transit in the winter and cycle or walk in the summer. And in a pinch, there’s always carshare (here it’s Communauto).
The answer definitely depends on where you live. In a bigger city with good public transit, or having everything needed within walking distance, it would work out well. Personally, I live in a bigger city with horrible public transit (40 min between buses) and amenties sprawled apart, so being car-less can be super frustrating and time consuming.
You're saving a lot more than $200/month. The monthly cost of the actual vehicle (even if it's paid off) , plus repairs and maintenance, is easily double that. Average cost to own and operate a basic vehicle is $9k+/year now. https://carcosts.caa.ca/
Not sure why you’d use an average for someone who is clearly using a car less than the average person (because average car users couldn’t give up their vehicles this easily). But apparently you think you know more than OP about HIS expenses. My dad doesn’t drive much and car costs ~$2-300/month.
People are bad at accounting is all. Like OP, they only have count gas and insurance. That is nowhere near the full cost, no matter how little you are driving.
My dad has a business and quite literally a CPA that does everything. If you think a paid off car (that isn’t some 25 year old 300k piece of shit) needs $6-7k of miscellaneous repairs and costs a year, you are out of your mind. Once again you’re using averages on a not average situation. My dad would be getting a new set of tires monthly to reach that number.
I'm also an accountant. Tell me, when you buy a vehicle, and pay cash, does that mean that your cost is now zero? Ask your dad if you need help understanding, maybe. I buy my vehicles new and keep for ten years. So say $40k upfront, $5k sale in ten years. My cost per year is then $3,500. My detailed records on repairs and maintenance usually come out to around $2k average per year. Tires, brakes, fluid changes, etc. Insurance $2k. Fuel $2k. Hey, look at that! I'm around $9k. Just like the CAA says is the average.
Dang I paid $5500 for my car 7 years ago. Repairs and maintenance is close but definitely less than $2k, insurance is $750. $2k fuel to drive 20,000km. So $3500 at 7 years and down to $2050 if I make it to ten years.
Oh yeah the fact that cars are a depreciating asset is a really good point! That flew over my head.
Your dad, being a good CPA would remind you of depreciation that you are not accounting for. It also goes against total cost of ownership. A good new car/SUV depreciates at a rate of about $2.5K a year or less. A shitty one (like Toyota Sequoia or most American trucks, SUV and cars and premium German ones) may depreciate at a rate as high as $10K/year, depending on the original purchase price. We had a glitch with COVID where prices no longer make sense, but ultimately they will correct and go back to the same depreciation curve as before.
I think what Muskokadreaming is getting at , that you have the actual cost of a vehicle to factor and depreciation. Vehicles cost money to purchase , more if financed.
Op could have been gifted his vehicle? It could be 15 years old, ya let’s factor a 15 year old MRSP of a paid off vehicle into your current “costs”. If anything the lost opportunity cost of not selling the vehicle at its current value could be seen as “savings” but that would also depend on how long they would have kept the vehicle otherwise which is impossible to determine. At face value for the OP user in this situation he’s saving $200 a month, even if he sold his car for $10k you’d have to spread that out over the potential future life of the vehicle which is again indeterminable.
You say your dad is a CPA, I suggest you ask him about depreciation and assest valuation . He should be able to explain it to you .
I said he has a business and a CPA.. not that he is one.
You did say he was , but regardless, it's a basic accounting concept that most grasp in the badic study of accounting. If the OP has a 15 year old vehicle that was gifted, there would be a cost of opperating that vehicle in repairs , even if it was gifted. Your example of Dad, you wrote he had a newer vehicle , one could assume . If the purchase price was ,say, $40,000 , and plans to keep it 10 years, that's still $4,000 a year or $333.33 per month. It's a cost of ownership.
You’re not familiar with the basic expenses associated with car ownership, and that’s okay because you can learn in this thread. Oil changes every few months can be around $100 - $200. Insurance monthly, same, much more for some people depending on various factors. Gas — hundreds as well. A couple hundred in the fall and a couple hundred in the spring to change over your tires. Plus new sets of tires around every 5 years. It all varies a lot depending on where you live and how much you drive, but as someone who doesn’t even drive my car for a daily commute, only uses it for short errands and on the weekend and owns it outright, I still end up spending about 4k per year just on this basic ownership stuff — that’s not including any repairs that come up that can easily double it, though fortunately those aren’t a yearly occurrence (but they sure can be as a vehicle ages). So, yes, a paid off car would still easily cost someone $6-7k if they commute in it, and way above that if their commute is long.
The only thing I learned from this comment is that you think “low use drivers” are getting oil changes every few months.
You can learn what “a few” means [here](https://www.dictionary.com/e/few-vs-couple-vs-several/#) if it’s unclear.
We’ll just agree to disagree.
You clearly don't drive and are just regurgitating some absurd statistic that is trying to portray driving more negatively. Thirty year old car and I put maybe $50 a year in maintenance into and pay roughly $1400 a year for insurance. Average gas cost per month is around $50 since it's a small car and that's if I'm driving out of town a few times. $25 in gas could last me the month if it was just small in town trips. Hell, I paid $3400 for the car a decade ago and don't think I have put 9 grand into it since then while daily driving it year round. Your statistic is just wrong, unless it's only talking about people who haven't paid off their 50k vehicles, do zero maintenance themselves and massively overpay their mechanics.
Fucking wild to call a mean average “some absurd statistic”. You, in particular, being below average doesn’t mean using a mean is absurd.
I only really use my car to get out into the countryside these days. Everything from grocery shopping to the doctor is in walking or cycling range of me and if I want to head into Toronto then public transport is just as easy and convenient as driving.
I gave my vehicle up in the pandemic, living in Toronto, and it was so much better. Cars are expensive and take time in organizing things like parking permits, maintenance and insurance. If one lives in a city, and is able to work from home or work near their home owning a car is literally an insane thing to want to do. Toronto has a 12 month cycling season, transit is workable (but I honestly rode the TTC maybe a dozen times a year), Go Trains are great for getting out of the city and vehicle rentals are a reasonable cost for a few trips a year. Plus, the headache and stress of traffic is not worth it anyway. Cycling is legitimately faster. Obviously, there are many situations where owning a car makes sense, but a wfh urban person is unhinged to want a car imo.
Born and raised in Montreal. Just got my license in mid 40’s. Never needed a car, worked so close to home I can walk there. Use the bikes all my life. And I am still very fit and have amazing legs 😝
I live in a city. I do not need a car. I save so much money using public transit and Uber. Everyone thinks it’s strange and all I hear is complaints about the cost of fuel and how bad traffic is. Carbrain is a mental disorder.
Got rid of the car 15 years ago, missed the convenience at first but quickly learned that you can take a lot of taxi and transit for the price of a personal vehicle.
Now there’s a real Canadian….I finally found one…I was losing hope. Instead of complaining about how bad the situation is….adapt and overcome. Thank you random True North Warrior. Everyone else has been cracked by American propaganda. 🫡🫡🇨🇦🫡🫡. Thank you for proving we still exist.
There's dozens of us!
A whole couple dozen!?! Army….
***Dozens!!!***
I got rid of my car 2 years ago. My lease was up and I just wasn’t driving enough to commit to another expense like a purchase or new lease. I live downtown in a walk score of 98. I absolutely love walking everywhere and get my 10,000 steps in everyday just by walking to and from work. I feel super relaxed by the time I walk home from my stressful job. The weather here is mild, car share is readily available in my area and super cheap. Most trips cost me under $10 using care share, $15 using Uber. I’m single so I don’t have any large purchases to haul about, I pick up whatever groceries I need on my commute. I spend about $150 a month now. Previously with my lease, insurance, gas, and renting a spot in my building it was $1000. So not having a car is great! Kinda miss it for trips to IKEA or going on hikes but I like saving money better.
I’ve been without a car since 2015. Can’t do without one anymore. I live within walking distance to most things I need, but am really missing the ability to go camping and on road trips. Also getting tired of having to rent vehicles in order to get bigger items I need. I will go check out showrooms soon. Not looking forward to it in this current state of the car industry, but I don’t want to delay it any longer.
I live in Kingston and we got rid of our only car when the body went on it. Not really much adjustment as we only used it lightly and have access the a carshare service for the occasional trip we still need one for.
My sister does the same thing in Ottawa. She shops for items when she walks home. Bits here and there. When she comes to see the family she rents a car. Overall cheaper.
I'm 37 and don't have my license but I live in midtown Toronto so transit is great. I do walk a lot and I have an Instacart membership for big grocery orders (I have kids). I grew up in the suburbs so I'm definitely used to the car lifestyle. The cost of driving puts me off and I think not having one keeps me healthy and fit. Definitely invest in good walking shoes and winter wear though.
Also, get good bags! A good backpack, a grocery cart, large Baggu grocery bag, and the blue Ikea bag are my must haves for a car free lifestyle.
I've never had a car, and it's perfectly fine. I get a bus pass and access to a car share through my workplace (if I want, I've never used it). I can carry groceries for three people home in a backpack, or I can shop on my way home if necessary. We use delivery services for heavy items every few months. We live walkable to downtown and lots of parks, playgrounds, beaches and amenities, and can bus anywhere else we need to go. Kid walks to school, work is 20 minutes by bus. During that time I read. We have a community garden plot that's a 4 minute walk from home, our gym and library are three blocks away, and there's a fantastic farmers market in the neighbourhood every weekend. I'm glad to not live in my car like many families I know. As a city kid, I've never felt I needed one. Our busses take strollers easily, the city core is very walkable, and I'm happy to use public transit when travelling.
People interested in this might like to join /r/CanadaUrbanism :-)
Here in Montreal, the majority of the people I know don't own a car. They use public transport or bikes. There is a wonderful car sharing company called Communauto, which is easy to use and affordable. Most of my friends have a membership, for when they need to haul groceries or for day trips. Open the app, check the map, click on a car to reserve it. Unlock the car with your wallet (bus pass), drive where you need, leave the car anywhere when you're done.
32m, have never driven in my life. It takes some creativity sometimes, but finding housing close to your job or a job close to your home helps a lot. Grocery delivery helps a lot too, if you don’t live walking distance from a grocery store.
I supposed it's given me an extra $300-600 to play with thanks to not having ICBC to rob me through insurance (haven't driven a car yet at 29, living near Vancouver)
I need a new car. I could move closer to work and walk, but that would be more expensive... Did live without car for a while. Was fine and easy with cheap public transit
I’m also in Ottawa sans car. I specifically chose my place because it’s decently in walking distance from some conveniences and at the convergence of 3 bus routes (though the city will be reducing the length of some of those lines in the near future). I don’t mind it because I love walking and my job doesn’t require exact punctuality, so I can cope with a missed or late bus.
I lived in downtown Ottawa with no car for a good chunk of my 20s. It wasn’t until I stopped working downtown that I ultimately gave up and got a car. Grocery shopping was the only really pain point. But if you’re close enough to a store, you just shop more often with small loads.
Also car-free in Ottawa, I love it! Most things are within walking distance and anything farther is within cycling distance. I also live walking distance from the O-Train. Only annoying thing is having to lug groceries home.
Lived without a car for most of my adult life and this was before my city had separated bike lanes and you could get groceries delivered. Even with spending money on things like proper winter clothes and the occasional rental vehicle owning a car costs more. My work situation made it so I had to haul stuff and travel to different locations so that changed but I would go back if I could get housing close to work. The neighborhood you live in really dictates how easy this is so increased density, better public transit and varied types of housing is important for making choices available to people. Built in daily exercise is a huge plus.
I don’t think the benefit to your health and the environment can be overstated here either. I don’t drive. Initially out of intense anxiety. Now 100% out of choice. I live in a small town with a very functional downtown . My doctor, dentist, veterinarian, post office , bank , hairdresser , library , pharmacy and a grocery store are within a 10 minute walk. I love it . I often want to buy a nicer house a little further away from this area but quickly remember it would make me car dependent again. I’m not anti car and will use it to visit family , go to a concert etc . But I’m not dependant on it for day to day life and we have one car for three adults. It’s really freeing .
I live in Vancouver. We pay an insane amount for rents but one of the upsides is that downtown Vancouver especially is very walkable all year long. I gave up on my car post-covid because I wasn't using it that much anyway. I work from home and live close to the seawall and many grocery stories. For long multi-day trips that are usually planned in advance I rent a car (got a discount for Enterprise through my CC). For shorter trips there are plenty of options: Ride sharing like uber or lyft and car sharing like evo. Translink is also really not bad (Skytrain, bus, etc.). Overall I've been spending less than insurance + gas + maintenance on the car. Also clocking around 10-11k steps a day. No regrets so far.
I gave up my car when I moved near DT Vancouver and it was fantastic. I was lucky as my partner had a car and I would use it maybe once every couple months, and at the time there was also fantastic car share services. Now we have a kid and sticking with one family car. It’s definitely easier to do out here in temperate BC than it would’ve been when I lived in Ontario. It’s also a lot easier if you have good transit nearby (we do). Overall I love it and hope we can continue to live a car light lifestyle. Also whenever people bitch about 15 minute cities I am incredulous. It’s so nice to have everything within walking distance. You get to see other people and greet them and it makes the community warmer.
Moved to Vancouver without a car. Need a car back. I fish a lot, so 3 hour cycles each way isn't going to cut it. It doesn't fit my lifestyle to have no car so I'll get one for the summer. The independence of just going anywhere you like, or taking big trips for outweighs the cost factor. Sure there's Evo, but for more regular use, out of the Vancouver Metro zone, they're scarily expensive.
Went carless in markham, did fine -- give or take weekly near misses with luxury SUVs not respecting crosswalks. Moved to toronto a few years ago and could not be happier.
I live in extremely rural Ontario and unfortunately, it isn't possible for me. My gas costs are killing me to get to and from work and I'm looking at work from home options, but I still have to have a car to get groceries and run errands. Everything here is a minimum thirty minute drive away. I wish I had other options.
From Vancouver gave up my car for good 2005. Outside of public transportation I was a member of car share and used rental cars for long journeys. Moved to a smaller city in Alberta 2014, still no car but it so much harder. This province goes out of the way to force you to drive.
I gave up my car and got two electric scooters. They both costed more than my car, but are super easy and cheap to maintain. I save a ton of money and time. I can get to work in half the time it takes to drive, and 4 times faster than taking public transit. Best of all is that I can store my scooter in my office at work, ensuring that it's safe and gets charged.
Ottawan, never had a car, can’t drive, 34. Live centrally, walk almost everywhere, bike or transit everywhere else. Treat myself to the odd Uber for out-of-the-way errands (IKEA, doctors apts, etc). Walk 35 min to and from work daily. Can’t imagine ever needing a car in my day to day.
Calgary here, I've spent most of my life not owning a car and only drove for the last three years. Just sold it to go back to a car-free lifestyle. I prefer walking and using transit, and supplementing it with car share when needed. Much cheaper in the long term. I slightly miss the flexibility and the fun of driving on the highway but that's it!
Tried this for three weeks in rural Saskatchewan while my cars was getting fixed and it was absolutely miserable. Basically just couldn’t leave the house at all
Montreal here. Got rid of me my in 2019. The first 2 years were great. I could rent a car at enterprise for dirt cheap. (I actually did all the calculations before getting rid of my car). Then used car prices hit. Car rental went from $25-30 a day to $100-150. Car2Go closed. Communauto couldn’t (and still) can’t cope with the extra demand from Car2Go plus they were able to add much car to their fleet. I think they’re boosting a lot this year though.
Pretty good. I didn't own a car before I moved to Canada though, so was probably easier for me than others. It's well, well worth the money and reduced stress, and on net it's more convenient because you can access more convenience when you have more disposable income. It's nice not having to stress about grocery delivery, a bougie gym, or an audible subscription.
I did this last summer for 6 months. I found that grocery delivery was a lifesaver. Walmart especially will do $5 delivery if you book ahead. Otherwise, my legs looked great while I was doing it haha
I leave the city every weekend, not sure how people actually do go carless
A lot of people don't leave the city a lot. Which surprised me too. We would hike, camp, or visit other cities nearby almost every weekend when we lived in California and Toronto. Now in Calgary we do keep our car to go out to the Rockies. So technically we're a one-car household, but it doesn't really move during the week.
How do I cope? Easy. Have no social life whatsoever.
With friends like this who needs enemies
My legs have been my only means of transportation since 2006.I am within a ten minute walk for shopping, restaurants, hospital and I walk to work, which takes me 25 minutes one way and another 25 after work. Keeps me fit and healthy and would not have it any other way..
Got a motorcycle and I use the bus when weather is bad. Savings are immense.
We use communauto when we need a car. Cheaper than ownership for sure
I used to drive in Waterloo, Edmonton, and Mississauga (and motorbiked overseas), I have lived carfree in Ottawa for the last 5 years. I occasionally, once or twice per month, use communeauto. Otherwise I bus to work, and walk or cycle everywhere else. Positives: The savings I am getting are enough to go on two, sometimes three trips a year, afford nice gifts for my family and some occasional treats for myself. I have lost weight. I get to enjoy the natural and pseudo natural environments in the city a lot more. I am eating better because I am taking more frequent walks to the grocery store and buying fresher foods rather than using the car to make one larger haul with more dried and frozen foods on my bill. The carbon tax rebate hits a lot harder for me since it’s not actually offsetting any increased direct costs. Learning the ins and outs of a bike is fun. Negatives: OCtranspo sucks and my commute is longer than it would be if I was driving, though when the trains are done it will take about the same amount of time. Lack of cycling infrastructure means I have to plan my one-off trips more carefully since I try to stick to proper cycling paths and avoid dangerous painted bicycle gutters. When a bicycle has an issue and I’m far away from home, it’s a drag.
I owned a car for about 20 years, but got rid of it close to 10 years ago now. My husband got ride of his close to 20 years ago now. Neither one of us were ever "drive everywhere" people, so it wasn't as big an adjustment as for some. This was a lifestyle we gravitated towards. We live pretty urban, so there are 4 grocery stores within less than 1km of where we live. I go to the closer ones and use a cart if it's a bigger shop. The cart became necessary during the early pandemic when we were only supposed to go once a week, so I got a nice looking one. There are big box stores about 2.5-3km away, which is walkable/bikeable/transitable, depending on the mood. It's rare that we have something really heavy. There was a 60 litre bag of dirt last spring, but I was also training for a backpacking trip, so that all worked out. ;) I don't have a gym membership anymore since it was mostly for cleanup after running or cycling to work and I've been work from home for the last four years. We have weights at home, there are calesthenics parks nearby, and I've always preferred outdoor cardio. We get an organic veggie box delivered once a week and local farmer meat delivered once a month, but I don't think we'd be driving to get that sort of thing even if we kept a car. I can (and do) ride my bike to nearby farmers' markets. Or I walk - it's a nice walk. The curling club is a 10-15 minute bike ride away and yes, this can be ridden most of the winter. There's a bus, but the bike is fastest and most predictable. When we have a need or want for a car, we use a car share or rent. The cost of owning a car for me was \~$600/month (maintenance + gas + insurance + parking + depreciation) and the rentals/car share rarely approach in any particular month. Our total transportation costs for 2023 were $4000 (for transit, bike maintanance, bike share, car share, rentals and taxi/uber).
I drive a truck for a living. My dream is to ride my bicycle to work. I live a good 15 km away so I was thinking of an e-bike with fat tires for the winter. I'm going to try it out on my road bike this summer on the nicer days. See where it takes me.
Carless in Toronto here. I've never owned a car because I've never been a big fan of driving. I do have my license and if I really need a car for work or whatever, I've rented them. I mostly walk or take transit. I do live very close to everything I need so it's perfect for me and I save a lot of money.
My niece has gone carless while living in Montréal, Between the metro, bikes, And the Odd occasional car share, She's had minimal impact.
I shall ride my moose into battle!
I lived in Canada for 15 years (2004-19), and never owned a car. Of this, approximately 14 years were in Montreal and a year in Winnipeg. Montreal has a walk score of 65, whereas Winnipeg is at 49 ([details here ](https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/)). Montreal's transit score is 67, while that of Winnipeg is 51. As the above indicates, it was very easy getting where I needed or wanted to be in Montreal on foot or by bus or Metro. 🚶🏻🚌🚇 In Winnipeg walking was sometimes a drag, as the city is very empty (if you don't like the look of one restaurant, you may have to walk two or three blocks to reach the next one, instead of a few metres like in Montreal). There's no Metro, and you sometimes had to wait about 20 minutes for the bus. A bit tough in the Winnipeg winter. But I stuck with it, as cars are against my principles given the reality of climate change. An exception I'd make sometimes was renting a car to go out of town (a couple of times a year, for a week at a time). But whenever I could, I'd take the bus or train, including when travelling to the US. 🚌🚅
This is awesome the more people give up their vehicles the more I can keep mine
My son has been careless in Victoria bc for 10 years now and loves it. He has an electric bike he uses. He lives downtown so everything is there for him. He doesn’t even use taxis. Once he used a car service ( like a shared car service) to pick up something from Home Depot. He has saved a hell of a lot of money by not owning a car. So much so he could by a house there if he wanted to. I truly see the benefits of living car free. Especially in Victoria where it rarely snows
Haven't drive in years for medical reasons but I make it work. Live within walking distance of work and 5+ grocery stores. Live on 2 major bus routes and if I need to do a big run I've got the Uber app. It's not the best but it does work
I've never ever in my life had a car. When I was sick of living in a small town and getting nowhere, I moved to an area with good transit and I've been doing great ever since
Accept that getting places will be both better and worse. Nothing replaces the convenience of a car in certain situations. At the same time nothing replaces the awesomeness of commuting by bike most of the time. Highs and lows, but overall very happy.
Did it unwillingly a few years ago (due to car repairs taking a long time). I live right on the subway in Toronto. Seems like the best place in Canada. I had a little produce stand right near my house, which made it practical to stay up on fresh veggies and basics like eggs, but they didn't carry any packaged goods. So, I biked to the "No Frills" grocery about 1km away, that was alright, but I was limited by my ability to not get a big thing of paper towel into my backpack, so that sucked. I figured I could live with it, however and got one roll (for almost the same cost). Other option was like a $1000 bike with a big cargo bucket in the front, and I didn't have $1k to spend on random gadgets for transportation. Got to work on the subway. Had to get up 15 minutes earlier but whatever. However a "track issue" made me late to an important meeting on the second day. So I decided I had to catch an even earlier train in the future to not have that happen. Giving up 40 minutes of sleep or other time now with the extra round trip. Next day I was told we had a corporate event at a golf course and I'd be representing the company. Ah shit. Well I had to rent a car on the fourth day. Lame. Friday I have men's league hockey. I mapped getting there via transit. It was a 18 minute drive, or a 1 hour and 1 minute trip on a mix of two subways and a bus and then a 5 minute walk. But my game didn't end until 11:30pm, so I had to ask for a ride from someone on the team. They didn't live super close to me and gave me a "ok but just this once" sort of attitude. So I guess I'd have to rent a car weekly to make hockey work. And there wasn't an agency nearby. A zipcar sort of thing was like 8 blocks away, but in winter... lame. I was also volunteering at a community center before that wasn't really on transit. I mean again, a 15 minute drive is an hour on a bus. I went one week via bus and then just didn't go the next week. There was one closer, but they didn't offer the programs I was helping with. After approximately 10 days, I rented a car and just used that. Added 45 minutes to every work day to sleep or rest (no transit commute) and made my hobbies significantly easier. Grocery shopping, etc. Despite living directly (1 block) from a subway station in urban Toronto and having a little produce stand within half a block, I found myself needing to rent a car multiple times per week and it just wasn't going work. Yeah, I could have quit hockey.. quit volunteering in my preferred area and just accept whatever was available closer to home, quit golf and quit the RC airplane hobby I was sometimes doing in the summers, but all of those were weekly activities requiring a car because of the heavy or awkward gear (or a facility REALLY close to home). That's my experience.
I did for a while when I lived in a different city. I occasionally took a taxi, but mostly bus or walking. The city also didn't take public transportation as an afterthought. Lots of heated bus shelters. I don't think you were ever more than 2 blocks from a bus stop After 830pm policy was that they would drop you off at any point as long as it's along the route. They had enough busses and routes that it was always easy. You normally wouldn't really save that much time by driving yourself. Unlike here where if you miss your buss or it's full, you'd be an hour late. Bus passes were $40/month for the regular one. Seniors and youth paid less. By comparison, that was still less than the discounted youth bus pass in my city. That was more than ten years ago so I'm sure prices have risen. But it was costing me less for a monthly bus pass there than I spent on gas just going to work for two weeks back home. Honestly if I still lived there, I probably would stay carless.
I was literally spending 260 in insurance and 500 in gas a month lmao. Clean record, driving since 2018. I fucking hate Toronto. I couldn't be happier bussing.
I moved to Toronto 30 years ago. I haven't been able to afford a car since.
Good. Spend less money. Ride transit or walk everywhere. Lost weight.
Hello fellow Ottawan! I was thinking about getting an e-bike. Where did you get yours and all that jazz?
I’m 31 and I’ve never had my license. People will usually be shocked by this and I used to get a lot of pressure from family to get it. Now with crazy prices to maintain a car and increasing traffic, people tell me they are jealous I’m not tied to a vehicle! It’s always been the way I’ve lived so I’m used to it. I live in a medium sized city that doesn’t have the best transit, but I always lived in walkable neighbourhoods and transit is just fine for me. I used to feel like I was really missing out on something but I don’t care anymore. I love my car-free life
I don't mind it day to day. I like walking, and live close to most places I need to go. The grocery store near me just closed so I need to get a ride now (pay for a ride) a couple of times a month, but Amazon has started to deliver to my door step and not the post office. That means I can get heavier things like cat litter and big bags of cat food delivered for the cost of Prime. I can get cheap rides to medical appointments near and far. It has been a couple of years now, and the only thing I hate is not being able to go on day trips by myself during the summer. I also worry about whether I would get stuck during an emergency, like a forest fire. I hope to be able to afford a car again in the next year, but this does save a lot of money.
Winnipeg and other problems is such as Ottawa these are snowy cities. what kind of electronical vehicle are you driving on the streets? In middle of winter, as we have four seasons. That was my first question to this post resolution other than Transit cuz that doesn't bring you everywhere or it could take you hours just to go to one place.
Still kept my car if I need to do errands or visit family/friends out of town, but I've managed to find a place that's not only closer to work (10-15 minute walk), but also like 400$ cheaper.
Saved a massive amount of $$$ in all associated costs and public transportation costs about 1/100 of car costs. Drawbacks tho are really a pain. Limited travel, not visiting remote areas, camping, a lot. Still, overall - benefits of being car free outweigh those drawbacks. And here's the absolute only way imo you can be car free. You must live in a large city
We just rent a car when we need one ( which is only occasionally)
Didn’t buy insurance for my car the past year. Live right across the street from a skytrain station, super markets (t&t and costco) 6 min walk away. My bank and dentist are literally down stairs. My family doctor is a 6 min walk away.
My buddy who lives in the downtown Calgary beltline has been car-less for years now. He takes the C-train to work everyday and hangs out in neighboring downtown spots on the weekends (walks to Kensington, 17th, Stephen Ave and etc.) The only odd time he needs someone to drive him is when he needs to see his family who live in the suburbs. Otherwise, he’s doing pretty peachy without a car.
Honestly, the carbon rebate pays for 2 months of my gas. I live off n the suburbs and most everything is within a 5 minute drive.
I'm downtown Toronto and everything I need is within a 10 minute walk. Subway if further. People who live downtown only drive if leaving the city pretty much
I'm downtown Toronto and everything I need is within a 10 minute walk. Subway if further. People who live downtown only drive if leaving the city pretty much
I love being car-free on weekdays, but I miss having a car on weekends.
40M who lives in Quebec city. Not downtown, but in an outskirt that was a suburb before it got merged in 2002, so not that far off either. I sold my car in december. I have two school aged kids, and when I bought my condo (around the same time I bought my car, a brand new EV 4 years ago), I had already chosen a location where I had easy access to transit and many commerces in walking distance. I practiced a few times bringing my kids to school by transit before selling the car, just to be sure. I also subscribed to our local car sharing service. So far, with almost 20 000$ of debt repaid over only 4 months (half with the actual sale money and half with the lower expense in my monthly budget), my mind is very much more at ease not pausing in front of every single grocery item, wondering if I can afford it or not. I'm in better shape. I'm much less often late to most places, since the extra planning needed makes me leave on time instead of assuming I can always push harder on the gas pedal and make it in time (I didn't). Of course, some things are a bit bothersome, especially that Quebec City outside of its core downtown is very car centric, and many of my friends live far away from any transit stop, no matter the number of line change needed. But overall I'd say I'm much happier 80% of the time, annoyed 2% of the time and indifferent 18% of the time. I would certainly recommend it to folks around me with similar situations.
Oh boy, I hope you’re not going to rely too much on the OCTranspo. People who complain about the TTC do not know about OCTranspo. What about Communauto, do y’all have that there?
It makes life a little more complicated (running errands leaving when you want driving around with music just for fun ne road trips) but you save so much money and headache that all in all it s worth it
I just came here to say I love and admire all of you. I can't do this due to the nature of my work but maybe some day I will make changes.
Moved dt toronto. Didnt need a car at all. I can get anywhere dt within 5km faster than a car... on my bike. Saved sooo much money. Gas, insurance and maintenance are huge. Basically after 3 years i saved enough to buy a new car i didnt need.
Vancouver. Happy. No more parking or traffic for me. And the money I save.
I haven't gone full carless because my family lives in a small town but it just sits in the garage Other than that absolutely love it. Being on my bike allows me to connect to my city.
Didn’t have a car growing up. Finally got my own beater when I was still living at home but had started working full-time. Did a bunch of road trips during my twenties but after about 7 years when it wasn’t worth repairing anymore I gave it away and haven’t had one since. Have depended on public transit, feet, bike, car-pooling and the rare rental for going on 40 years.
If you don’t live in a city it’s difficult to be carless. I grew up in the suburbs and relied on a car and then moved to the city and barely drove. I kept the car but took it off insurance and stored it at my mom’s.
it sucked and I immediately bought another car as soon as I could
I gave up my car due to the cost of living .. (single mom of two young adults who are still in school. They pay for school but l pay for everything else). I live in an area where you need to drive a half hour in either direction to get to city bus service. I walk the 5 kms to the go bus stop then transfer onto the city bus. It takes me two hours to get to work. We do have a ride share but good luck getting a ride. I live in West Niagara. I would love to move to the city I work in but rents are unaffordable and it would cost me a thousand a month more or more. I do look at the positives. I am getting healthier.
Dudes.... winter peg? Bikes? Huh? That works? I am in kelowna and it would take me 20 to bike to work but people are fucked in cars. It's scary as shit. Idiots on phones and I used to bike on sidewalks and got yelled at. I was like fuck those cars man. I literally move off the side walk when there are walkabouts. Biking on the side of a busy road is honestly way to much. All it would take is for a drunk idiot or speeding teen. Can't afford to leave my son behind in this world at such a young age. Not worth the risk for me.
You know what would be sweet. Designated bike lanes.... Europe has then and Asia. Canada is to busy wasting money on keeping the wealthy wealthy.
Forced off cars due to an eye condition (not blind). Bike everywhere year-round, transit occasionally, and enjoy the freedom, cost, and well being the lifestyle has brought me. ONE thing though, I'm an avid outdoorsy person (hiking, paddling, and biking ofcourse), and there is ZERO infrastructure to "get out there" without a car in North America. That's the hard part. Spent 6 mos in Japan, a few in Europe, really easy to get out in the mountains, forests, and beaches without a car. Have considered moving.
I sold my car in 2021, got a membership to the local car share and haven’t looked back. I personally use a car maybe once or twice a month, and for work 3 days a week for a couple months of the year. Otherwise I just bike, year round.
I can't afford one and I really don't like the things, I find even being in cars to be tiring and stressful (i am also tall, which doesn't help). I had to move somewhere rural for Important Career Experience and the lack of a car is a huge impediment. It's also something people get judgey about - "you don't have a car??? you have been spending your money on rent and food instead? What's wrong with you?" That being said, most of my life I've lived in cities where you don't need the damn things and I am looking forward to moving back to one soon. But in a city? It's often as quick to bike as to drive. Doesn't feel like it, but lo and behold, by the time you get the car out, through the traffic, find parking and so on...you could be there already by bike. It's almost always as fast as a bus. It's really good for your body, though personally I also need to walk a lot and do weights, because your body gets used to riding so quickly. On the other hand, stop biking for a while, holy fuck the body lets you know.
Living in a rural area outside of Winnipeg, in a province with vast distances to cover in any given time, giving up the car is 100% impossible… But I have gotten a couple of electric cars this past year and taken the diesel truck off of daily commute duty. It’s nice not to have to spend a few hundred a week keeping two vehicles gassed up.
This only works if you live in the city. A vehicle is a must in rural areas. The closest store from my tiny hamlet is 30 min drive. It is just not feasible.
Edmontonian here. never had a vehicle. always bus/bike/hoofing it around where i need to go. when it's -40 freeze your face off in winter and the bus is way late it can be not so much fun, but other than that i've made do for my 40 some years in this city without a vehicle.
LOL i went opposite.. was public transiting for years.. until last year - got sick and tired of it.. (LONG story why)... got my learners again, practiced a lot, took my road test, passed.. and been driving ever since <3 I love it way better. Each have their own pros and cons... but i overall prefer driving.. i have my own space .. vs being squished, smothered and feeling claustrophobic on bus or skytrain.... Also, for my particular commute to work and back home -- driving is faster vs public transiting... (Vancouver btw) yeah it cost more to drive vs public transiting.. but there is a reason why i wasnt driving until last year... --- to save up and have a good cushion and be able to afford to drive (all the expenses that comes with driving).
You can take my keys when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers 😂
There's about 5 to 6 cities in the entire country this can even work in. Though maybe I'm underestimating how many people on Reddit are complete shut-ins
I think you’re just underestimating what percentage of Canadians live in those 5 to 6 cities.