First the New Car

In late 2012 I decided to trade in my then ten year old car for a brand new one. I had five years until retirement and thought it was a good time for me to take on the added expense while I was still working and could have it paid off by the time I retired. I would then have a car in good condition to take me through my senior years for as long as I was able to drive. So off to the car dealership I went and I found myself a sporty and affordable car I named Daisy. Don’t ask me why it was just a name that popped into my head. I loved that car. It was a Ford Fiesta. It was sleek and held the road well. I felt so free and easy driving it.

Sense of Independence and Freedom

I was living on Vancouver Island at the time and had a few friends who lived up Island. Daisy and I made a couple trips along the highway and up the mountain to visit them. We crossed over to the Sunshine Coast as well and visited a dear friend there. I felt on top of the world and confident in my driving and my car in ways I had not felt for a long time.

What is it about having a car that gives you that sense of independence and freedom? For me, when I got into that car it was like I became one with the car. It had a personality not just by its looks. It was the way it drove. I felt safe and secure and knew as long as I treated it well it would take me wherever I wanted to go. I stored things in Daisy that I wanted to have with me. When I needed to go to the store my shopping bags were in the trunk. It was always a good place to store something I wanted to get out of the house until I got around to dropping it off somewhere.

Hard Choices

In January 2013, just a few months after I bought Daisy, the owner of the company I was working for informed me that he was downsizing and that my position was being eliminated. That came as a total shock to me. There was no indication leading up to that time that I would not have a job in the new year or I would never have made the financial commitment I did. I worked until the end of February.

For a whole year I tried to find work and in that year had to move to a smaller more affordable studio apartment. Still I was able to keep Daisy. Unfortunately, I was not able to find full time work and eventually I had to make the very difficult decision to give up my car. It was so hard to say good bye to Daisy because I knew my life was about to change forever.

Life without a Car….

It had been years since I had relied on public transportation. I was in my teens at that time and it was either take the bus or street car or walk. I lived in Toronto so was also learning to use the then new subway system.

Forty years later, in my sixties, it was a lot different. First I had to learn the transit system in the city I was living in and figure out how to get from point A to point B as expediently as possible. It took much longer to get anywhere so I had to allow for extra travel time. Then I had to get something sturdy to transport my things, like groceries or parcels I was taking the post office that were too big for me to carry. I bought a top of the line shopping cart with extra suspension to carry heavy loads. I named it Gwen. Don’t ask me why it just came into my head. Gwen and I were going to learn to get along without Daisy.

It was not easy at first. I was used to the independence I had had to get where I wanted to go directly and in less time. Like most drivers, my car was my private bubble or womb where I could be while I travelled around town and not have to interact with anyone else. Now I was out in the world and exposed to the elements. Rain or shine I had to be prepared.

Soon I began to learn that you can meet some very interesting people at the bus stop. As I waited I got into conversations with others who were also waiting. They often gave me the inside track on what was happening in the community. Soon I was seeing the same people on the routes that I usually took. We began to greet each other around town and acknowledge one another’s presence. There were the usual characters who hung out around the bus stop hoping for a ride into town even though they may not have the money for the bus fare. They too were part of the community.

As I used the public transit I eventually found it more economical to get a monthly bus pass. I was working part time and taking the bus to work. Sometimes I had to walk. Eventually my income was so low I qualified for a free bus pass. That helped out a lot. I began exploring the city I was living in more than I had ever done in my car. I discovered places like out of the way parks and gardens, and neighbourhoods with unique shopping areas. Sometimes I had to take a taxis to doctor’s appointments or to get myself home from grocery shopping. Mostly I just used the bus though or walked where I needed to go if it was close by. There was even bus service to take me up island to visit friends. Still I was more limited in my travels.

Starting over in a new place

When I moved back to Ontario I learned a whole new public transit system. I moved to an area just outside of Toronto still considered part of the GTA (greater Toronto area). There are so many more choices to get around in that area. There are local buses, Go trains, and Go buses that connect cities from as far south as Niagara Falls and north as Waterloo. I was so excited to learn about all the options available and how easy it was to travel around without a car. My friends with cars were all impressed with how well I knew the system and how I often I used it. One day it the heat of summer I got on a bus and took it all the way to the end of the route and back again. It was a great way to stay cool and get to know the new city I was living in. I discovered being a tourist in my own town. Simply exploring via public transportation.

Now almost ten years after giving up my car I still miss the independence. I find I am using UBER more and more because it is faster and easier. Family and Friends are very generous in giving me a lift when I need to get somewhere out of the way or to take me to the grocery store or medical appointments. I am a senior now and in the city where I live seniors get free bus service. I am so grateful for that option. I still have Gwen and she is used mostly for transporting my laundry to the laundry room now though she does come in handy for carting heavier things from time to time.

Not having a car means I also walk a lot more. I find walking not only gives me exercise it connects with my neighbourhood in ways I would not be doing if I was in a car or on a bus. I try to purchase as much as possible from local merchants who are close to my home. I chat with my neighbours as we pass by each other.

Making the Best of it…..

Not having a car any more is really a saving grace in many ways. Financially it has meant I am not strapped with the expense of gas, insurance and the maintenance of a car. I am blessed with the support of good friends and family, a great public transit system and growing awareness of the neighbours and people who work in the stores close by. I often walk in the neighbourhood over from mine which is filled with mature trees and beautiful gardens. There is a lovely park I walk to that gets me out in nature. I live just twenty-five minutes walk from the shores of Lake Ontario and have made it my goal to walk there and back at least two or three times a week. I am still working on that one. There is a bus that goes down to the lake so if my legs can’t get me both ways I can hop on the bus. So as hard as it was to say good bye to Daisy and the lifestyle that having a car afforded me, I have made the best of it and am no worse off for it. In fact, I may be better off…….