For many years Emilio and I have wrestled with the idea of going carless. Would living in Canada without owning a car actually work? While KW Professional Organizers was in full operations it wasn’t an option we could really consider. I mean, it would be pretty challenging working with clients in their homes and then not having any wheels to hull away unwanted items for donations. Good thing our online courses were up and running so we could help in other ways.

Covid-19 lock-downs here in Ontario changed all of that thinking. KW Professional Organizers was not considered an essential service and for well over a year we have not been offering one-on-one services. Also, our daughter was accepted into a daycare program that was right around the corner from our house. All of a sudden we no longer had a need for car use on a daily basis.

Carless could actually be a convenient option

We live in an urban location in Waterloo, Ontario and since moving here in 2012 the local carshare company has dramatically improved their offerings. We live right off of a major bus route, there is a light rail transit not far from our home, and the Waterloo Region has been slowly adding more protected bike lanes. Everything started adding up to be the right time to try going carless.

Going carless could save us serious bank

When we crunched the numbers we realized that we had the opportunity to save $400+/month from insurance, licensing, and gas. Not to mention the savings from selling our Dodge Caravan and annual maintenance costs. You know the old adage a car is the endless pit you throw all your money in. Emilio and I debated for a long time and then finally decided to post an add to sell the van. We decided to test our experiment for one calendar year and experience all the seasons carless.

5 myths of going carless

Myth #1: You can’t use a car anymore

Just because you’re letting go of ownership of your car doesn’t mean you can’t drive other cars. We became carshare members the minute we sold our car. We knew that if push came to shove and we needed to take a trip somewhere or pick up large items we could always count on having access to wheels. Our local carshare Communauto is a wonderful resource and helps us feel comfortable in our decision to go carless.

Myth #2: Owning a car provides more options to move around

It’s funny because we were so worried about not having options to go places, but the truth is that the opposite happened. Owning the car limited our way of thinking about moving. When we let go of the car we started to think of all the different ways we could move around. For example, when Emilio took Eva to go second hand shopping for some clothes across town he needed to think about how he would do it. Instead of just jumping in a car and going from point A to point B, he and Eva took the light rail transit, explored a new paved trail by roller blades and stroller to visit the shops, and then jumped on the train home. They both enjoyed the whole experience and fit in exercise, exploration, and practical shopping at the same time. In the past it would have been a pretty mundane drive to the store, shop, and drive back home.

Myth #3: Public transit is your only way to move around

Depending on your location there are a lot of ways to get around without relying heavily on just public transit options. When we sold the car we invested in an electric scooter, an electric skate board, we own three bicycles with trailer and seat attachments for our daughter, we use roller blades, we walk, we are car share members, and occasionally have used the bus and light rail transit. Please remember, we’re just sharing our experiences and we know that not all areas are as well served as where we live. We had tested electric scooters in San Francisco and absolutely LOVED the experience. We knew that owning a scooter would be a great joy to ride.

Myth #4: You will miss your car

This is definitely a personal belief, but so far Emilio and I have been at the height of summer activity, going from here to there and we DO NOT miss our van. In fact, there has been more joy and excitement in our movement, our exercise goals are easy to accomplish, and we have so far never experienced not being able to rent a car when we need it. Also, we have saved hundreds of dollars since selling the car.

Myth #5: Everyone should go carless

Absolutely, this is a hard NO. Going carless is not for everyone and can definitely be more challenging depending on where you live. However, for our lifestyle, location, and family size, going carless has been a real game changer. Many of our neighbours, friends, and family were worried about us when we embarked on this experiment, but have witnessed us take to the new adjustment very well. We hope that by us sharing you can reflect and ask yourself if going carless is right for you. It’s more than ok if it’s a No.

Re-thinking the way you move

Going carless has provided a positive ripple effect in our life. We are intentional about where we go and how we get there. Our fitness levels have risen and with that our levels of depression have dropped and according to Harvard exercise can be as effective as anti-depressants. Both Emilio and I are looking forward to adding sled and ski’s to our ways of travel this winter. Going carless is paying off for our family.