More and more people are deciding to skip purchasing a car for a more technologically connected life. As Jim Lentz, president of Toyota USA, said, “Many young people care more about buying the latest smart phone or gaming console than getting their driver’s license.” And we couldn’t agree more! With that in mind, we compiled a list of products and apps that can help you facilitate your day-to-day life so that you can stop spending your hard-earned money on a car.
1. Use a car only when you need one
Instead of investing in a car, you can take advantage of the multiple car-sharing services available. Car2Go offers you the possibility of renting a car by the minute, by the hour or even by the day if you need it. The great part about this program is that you don’t even need to spend on gas. The company takes care of fueling expenses so it’s not your responsibility!
Another great contender in the car-sharing industry is Zipcar which offers a similar product to Car2Go.
2. Use Busbud for your intercity trips
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do some exploring. North America has a bunch of amazing cities worth visiting that doesn’t require you to cross the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. Cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Montreal, Washington, Ottawa and Philadelphia are all within bus travelling distance. With Busbud, you can easily search, compare and book bus tickets within these cities, making bus travelling all the more convenient. And, compared to taking the train, riding the bus is in most cases a far less expensive and faster alternative.
3. Learn how to navigate around your city’s public transportation system
Living without a car is a breeze if you learn how to get around town using your city’s public transportation system. Transit App created a mobile app that lets you know the schedules for bus stops and train stops near you. The app also has a few other neat features that lets you see if there’s a bike-sharing dock nearby or even request an Uber ride straight from the app.
Similarly to Transit, Ridescout is another product that helps you easily keep track of intercity bus and train schedules.
4. Take the bike
One of the great things about car-less living is the amount of exercise you’ll be able to fit in your daily schedule. Odds are, if you live in a big city, there’s a bike-sharing program available to you. This will allow you to navigate through the city at a much lesser cost!
Here’s a list of programs available in some of North America’s largest urban cities:
5. Get your groceries delivered to you
Sometimes, it’s impossible for us to go do the groceries ourselves, either due to a lack of time or just plain old fatigue. However, it’s possible to order your groceries online and to get them delivered to your home! Instacart promises to deliver your groceries within an hour. It’s still a relatively new service so make sure to see if Instacart is available in your city.
Apps today cover everything from grocery shopping to intercity traveling, and getting by without a car has never been easier. If you’ve been thinking of selling your car, there’s no better time than now!
Dorian is our in-house lifehacking expert, and always looking for the latest technology and apps that’ll make his life easier.
Search and book your bus tickets for your next trip directly on Busbud.com
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Good article. Are you in Japan, Asia-Pacific or any plans to do so?
How about Montreal's Bixi? And we have Car2Go, lots of bike paths and great places to see!
Very well written. I use to follow these tips except the third one. Will even try that. Keep posting.