You have just moved to a huge, gorgeous new city, and have found that transportation and travel is a nightmare. There are so many things to do, from trying out new restaurants to exploring museums and more, but have discovered to your dismay that getting anywhere makes you miserable. Parking is a nightmare, traffic is never ending, car rental is inconvenient, valets are expensive and it costs an arm and a leg for car storage at your new apartment complex! In a city as big as yours, the answer lies in group transportation. Have you ever considered what the city roadways would look like if those hundreds of cars were condensed into just a few dozen buses?
Contrary to popular belief, traveling by bus and group car transport are not as nightmarish as they seem. The subway, campus buses, and trams help large amounts of people get to their destination in little amounts of time, and businesses that utilize private citizens with vehicles are booming. Utilizing a taxi car service, bus service, or whatever group transportation options your city has will save you many headaches in the long term.
Firstly, it will cost only a fraction of your annual transportation related expenses, especially if you remain local for the most part. You don’t have to surrender a massive monthly loan payment or insurance premium to use the subway, and traveling by bus means the vehicle won’t belly up to a gas station and demand you pay up. The average single subway ride will cost you a couple bucks, while an unlimited monthly pass will be around $100, depending on where you live. That is probably less than what you even pay to park your vehicle!
Using group transportation comes with less hazards than individual transportation, as well. When you use a group car like Lyft or Uber, or in the case of traveling by bus, the driver is solely responsible for navigating the many safety hazards and distractions of big city roads. While you are statistically just as likely to be involved in an accident in a group car as you are in your own, the insurance and repair woes are no skin off of your nose. As long as you are not injured, you can just hop off that tram and wait for the next one.
Have you ever ground your teeth while stuck in traffic because a car just cruised right on by in the carpool line? Well, that could be you if you give up your personal car for the group transportation life. Subways, trams, buses, and taxis do not have to follow the rules of personal vehicle traffic. If you sign up for a carpool service, you can stop cursing to the wind in rush hour, and kick back with a good book instead.
Finally, you will be lightening your carbon footprint on the city you have come to love. Each car emits a significant amount of fumes into the air, affecting air quality and light pollution; other pollution factors include gas and other fluid leaks, and littering. If you join the thousands of other people in your city that utilize group transportation, you are taking away your vehicle’s contribution to your city’s incapability to see the stars at night or stinky, gas-smelling city streets.
Choosing to sell your car and opt in to group transportation is a big decision, but the costly and environmental benefits will be worth it for you in the long run.
