You Don't Need to Own a Car (If You Don't Drive to Work)

[@NotJustBikes]

Fellow Canadian KZbinr Levi Hildebrand did a great video about how they saved over $3K/year by switching to carsharing in Victoria, BC: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWqYl6aMba5-rLM Check out his video for the way it worked out for their situation, and for their financial calculations.

[@2layers]

Victoria? Hahaha also Vancouver has a fantastic car share service called Evo. Best service I've used, but can only compare with a few other Canadian ones. Great Video!

[@gielwitmer9303]

I do have one question about the car share. What if you want to go out of the country?

[@rcmrcm3370]

@@gielwitmer9303 Hertz, Avis, etc, been doing this for nearly 100 years, you can even buy insurance to cover liability for other countries. Pretty important if you don't want to spend time in a Mexican Jail waiting for your security deposit to be wired by relatives to the court. Then again, this is why I never drive outside my home country, I'll let a local deal with the law.

[@ozAqVvhhNue]

Carsharing services don't work for everyone. I'm an electrician working in dirty construction sites. No matter how much I brush off the concrete dust from my clothes there will always end up some in the car. I would need to pay so much cleaning fees that its cheaper for me to buy a used car. Not to mention that I sometimes spontaneously need to get to a different construction site and transport some of my tools with me. I think way more people could profit by using carsharing and way more people should give it a try. But I don't like that you don't add such nuances.

[@NotJustBikes]

@@ozAqVvhhNue I literally said "If you don't need to drive to work" in the first few seconds of this video. And later in the video. Hell it's even in the _title._ What more "nuances" are you looking for? Also, the last time a handyman arrived at my house he came by cargobike. All of his tools were in the bike, and there was nowhere for dust to end up but on the sidewalk.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Can’t imagine sharing my horse with other European monarchs.

[@LeafHuntress]

Richard III is looking for one, quite desperately from what i've heard, you might be able to make a good deal.

[@rcmrcm3370]

But... but... you left so many of them along the road back from Moscow.

[@lehui8266]

@@rcmrcm3370 OOOhhhh snap

[@TheNefastor]

I've seen your horse, it's been preserved and is on display at the Paris Museum of War. It was a beautiful white horse. I can totally understand not wanting to share him.

[@JMiskovsky]

Pro tip renting a horse is cheaper that owning one. I do ride horses.

[@paulk6788]

"Nearly the whole country is accessible with a combination of bicycle plus train" - what a great day to mention trains!

[@XMrNiceguyX]

For context: the country's whole train service was flat on its ass nearly the whole day yesterday (2021-05-31).

[@rutgergor2]

@@XMrNiceguyX No need to be so dramatic. The trouble started around 1400hrs. I don't know the length of your days, but there are plenty of hours before 1400.

[@gossifloor]

@@rutgergor2 how much does prorail pay you to defend them on the internet

[@rutgergor2]

@@gossifloor Dat zou toch eens een ideale wereld zijn als dat het geval was. Maar feit is wel gewoon dat er 's ochtends geen nood aan de man was. Toch wel een verschil met: "het treinverkeer lag de hele dag op zijn gat."

[@snapgab]

@@gossifloor I think it's a fair defense to make, if it was only down after 1400 then that means that everyone who needed a train for their morning commute was still able to get where they needed to be. Whether people were able to complete their morning commute or not is a fairly significant difference...

[@LeahandLevi]

Yes! When I made my video about my experience living without a car it was wild to see just how many people are still baffled by this idea. We prioritized a walkable, urban area in part because we specifically didn't want to be dependent on a car!

[@betterwithrum]

Depends on where you live, lots of cities in the US still have crappy car share infrastructure. Namely, large cities on the coastline. Chicago’s car share sucks, Dallas’ car share sucks, Kansas City doesn't even have a car share, on and on. Some places are better than others on the Coast. DC has Cars2Go; San Diego has a plethora of options.

[@rcmrcm3370]

@@betterwithrum They surely suck if you've been sitting in them, which is why a small bottle of Febreze helps.

[@jean-francoiscaron5706]

@@betterwithrum When I lived in Houston TX they had Zipcars only, and the nearest one was about 2 miles away from where I lived. I was super ambitious and signed up, but every time I contemplated walking the 4 miles round-trip in the Texas sun (on shitty sidewalks with no shade, on high-speed roads) I gave up and took an Uber. I eventually gave up entirely and bought a used car. Houston transit is *relatively* decent for Texas and the US, but other than bare survival it was almost impossible to live there without a car.

[@MoPoppins]

@@jean-francoiscaron5706 Would you be able to get around town on your own, if you had an e-bike?

[@jillengel4124]

I gave up my car when I moved to the city center. My suburban friends are so puzzled. They just don’t get that you can walk to everything. If I go to a concert they think I have to take Uber even though it’s only a five block walk. The carshare service we had for five years left the city last May. Hated to see them go. They were always in use except for the ones that were placed out in suburban areas - those mainly sat parked.

[@Lambda_Ovine]

I moved from Mexico and to the US, legally, all by the books, learned English, became a citizen and went to college all because I wanted to escape the pains of living on a developing nation... and here we are... Don't get me wrong, the standard of living for the average American is obviously significantly higher than in Mexico... but if I recall correctly, I moved to the richest and most powerful country in the history of humanity. I shouldn't be envying the Dutch transport system.

[@PourLeCorps]

Richest and most powerful doesn’t mean it’s the best to live in. Your tax dollars here in the US do not benefit you in anyway. Infrastructure and public transportation are completely ignored. Your tax dollars go to paying politicians and seriously bloated military. Netherlands might not be as rich, but they have significantly less people, and their tax dollars actually towards things that benefit the people, not the government

[@keucher]

watching this channel makes me so sad because i become so painfully aware of how dreadful the world around me is to live in. watching these videos of amsterdam, with people cycling and walking and simply enjoying life in their city, rather than simply existing in it from the sealed environment of the cabin of a car, is almost heartbreaking as someone who lives in a car-dependent suburb in the US.

[@flamingowrangler]

as someone from orlando florida, i couldnt agree more. i live 2 blocks from a massive stroad called colonial and it basically divides my neighborhood into places i can walk to and places i cant. theres also 4 stroads nearby and my parents get pissed when i talk shit on this godforsaken neighborhood and how unlivable it is

[@blanco7726]

As someone who lives both in a suburb and in a city center, I can tell youthe world is dreadful either way.

[@flamingowrangler]

@@grains6002 that makes me feel way fucking worse lol

[@bartholomewdan]

Is it bad that I initially read "sealed" as "salad"?

[@Nathan-qo9kg]

Seriously! I live 4 miles from a large city and looked into this after watching the video. The only service that was in town was at a University 5 miles away and had about 3 cars :(

[@jordanantonio6011]

The more I watch this channel the more I realize “wow the ‘system’ is broken and needs to be fixed” which is the first step in change. Great content

[@michalandrejmolnar3715]

Vote for progressives

[@kwasiahenkora6583]

@@michalandrejmolnar3715 And to hell with R1 Zoning!

[@ThePlazmaBeast]

Never seen a better ad for car sharing than this one.

[@NotJustBikes]

I can't believe how few videos about carsharing there are online. There are basically only a handful of low view count vlogs about it on KZbin. I hope this video helps to get the word out.

[@kajetanradulski9267]

@@NotJustBikes Really a great info, I'm using bicycle as my main mode of transportation but as holiday season starts I find longer trips to more remote areas to be sometimes not possible by bike or train

[@BlueUncia]

@@NotJustBikes I'm Dutch, and I didn't even know this service existed. This sounds really convenient!

[@spritemon98]

@@NotJustBikes I extremely love this idea and I'm curious if it exists in the states

[@benoitrouchy1577]

@@NotJustBikes Yeah car sharing is really badly advertised. I only know of zipcar bc they have massive logos on their cars. Going to look into this more for were I live.

[@rawnanle]

this channel has singlehandedly raised my appreciation and respect for European city planning by unimaginable margins

[@jennifertarin7748]

me too. It has also reinforced my desire to move to Europe.

[@somefrenchguy2091]

@@jennifertarin7748 WE have it good on this matter, still we have a looot of issues to take care of but our cities are close to paradise when compared to American ones (And I really don't like our cities)

[@lordsleepyhead]

The kicker is that European cities were built way before American cities and had in no way any foresight with regards to modern transit solutions. European cities were never planned to be car-free and walkable. They were retrofitted that way.

[@thebabbler8867]

@@somefrenchguy2091 Anywhere is better than America. America makes North Korea look like heaven.

[@ArAcHnId777]

I'd like to point out that by far, most European countries do not have the same public transport infrastructure as the netherlands 😛

[@andi_1425]

Funnily enough, when I talk to car-owning friends, they always say something like "oh wow, you paid 50 € just for this trip?". I find it funny how they don't even consider the monthly cost of their car, which they pay no matter if they are driving or not. Let alone the initial cost of the car, which is comparably insane even if you drive the same car for many years.

[@JerEditz]

As a personal car owner, I would advocate such ride shares to my friends who don't want the liability of owning a car. I think it opens up alot of opportunities and this would probably be big/beneficial in a car central nation like US.

[@Wednesdaywoe1975]

I pay...about $500 a month for my car. Damnit.

[@isawrooka4]

@@Wednesdaywoe1975 you probably pay more than that unless you already include depreciation. When I owned a car, my tangible expenses were $600, but including the depreciation of my car (which was kinda new when I bought it, so YMMV) it was well over a thousand. Just in case it’s not clear, if you buy a car for $10,000 and sell it a year later for $8,800, you’ve accrued an additional $100/month in expenses even if you didn’t physically see the money leave your bank account. For newer or more expensive cars it can be way more

[@RichardFleming]

@@AntherMoo In @M's example, you paid $1,200 for the car. Therefor if you spread that cost over the one year of ownership, it cost you $100 per month to own the car.

[@GlizzyGoblin6969]

@@RichardFleming But, that isn't really representative of reality. Hypothetically, if you buy a car for $10,000 on January 1 and sell it for $8,800 on December 31 then your total out-of-pocket expense for that car each month is only $100, not your payment + $100. Your monthly payments go towards the purchase of the vehicle so you're realizing your losses without considering your gains in @M's example. To simplify the math for the example we're ignoring maintenance, insurance, and interest which should absolutely be taken into consideration when making the decision to purchase or car share.

[@ricardoludwig4787]

THIS is how cars can still be useful in a dense future where they're no longer needed. They don't need to occupy valuable space, they get plenty of use, and their cost is shared by the community that uses it, rather than saddling everyone with obligatory expenses

[@kpdelaney6460]

The sad reason this probably won’t be implemented by the U.S. is because car dealerships and insurance companies make a ton of money off of everyone needing to pay for their cars, so this service which costs less for customers won’t look like a good deal for them.

[@inspirice9844]

@@HistoricalWeapons Welp guess I'll be owning my vehicles, won't cost as much to total them!

[@LucGendrot]

Unreasonably excited to listen to the [not just] bike man talk about The Netherlands again.

[@PrinceJ20233]

Yeah he hates the country (roads) he comes from, named Canada.

[@yash1152]

@@massinakmin8340 hmm?

[@katelawyer3689]

@@PrinceJ20233 Canada sucks as a country so umm yeah

[@s.lmaaltajik7572]

My family puts a ton of pressure on me to drive my own car, and the more and more I watch these videos, the more I’m learning about how life without having a car is possible and even more seamless. Your reasons; that insurance, personal responsibility, gas, maintenance, are all issues that I’ve thought about and used in my own argument on why I don’t want to have a car. Now it’s a little saddening knowing that a world like this exists but I’m stuck in the suburban hellscape

[@lkruijsw]

I think psychologically it is hard to pay suddenly 60 euro for a trip, while it is only a few euro with your own car. Although overall it is cheaper.

[@wiebevanschaik8218]

I agree, monthly costs just feel that much less even though in the end it will be more money than those two single trips. That’s just how our human brain works I guess…

[@Barten0071]

big number scary, many small numbers no scary

[@leopoldleoleo]

Totally agree. The way I get around that is calculating what owning car would cost, and having that as a ‘car budget’ for the month. I never get close to it though

[@DarkDutch007]

@@wiebevanschaik8218 probably the reason why lots of things become/are subscription based nowadays.

[@TheFeldhamster]

This. I'm old enough to remember when you'd pay cellphone calls by the minute instead of a monthly fee that included more minutes than I'd ever need. It just felt awful. I (and all my friends) constantly had this time ticker in our minds and talking to people on the phone felt sooo stressful. Stressful enough to be actually rude to people and ask them to hurry because the call is expensive. Once we were all on those all-inclusive plans, everything felt just chill, even though many of us actually paid a little bit more than before. But the pressure was gone. You knew it was that price and could never suddenly become really expensive if you didn't pay attention.

[@skeletor959]

If I didn’t live in a suburban hellscape, I’d love this.

[@カリユガ-u6f]

buut what about muh trains?

[@robertweekley5926]

@@beretaniastreet6384 - Move, you say? A Suburban Home, that costs $500,000, in the City, might be on a Lot that is Half the Size, but cost $1.2 Million! That "Spread" buys a "Lot of Car!"

[@robertweekley5926]

I guess, living in a Suburban area, (Owning a Home, there) could be mixed with Renting a Room or small Apartment in the City, near work! 😳

[@levelup1279]

Suburbia is great, stop being so impressionable. Yes it's not economically sustainable because it's too nice. We are living above our means, its luxury living we as a society can't afford, but its luxury living don't forget that. Having your own big plot of land, free standing house, & the privacy. It's all quite amazing. Maybe try van life or something, turn your car into your home.

[@pwnmeisterage]

Suburbia is only a 10 minute drive away from civilization. But it's also only a 20 minute walk or 15 minute bike ride away from civilization. It is possible to live without a car in the burbs. Plan better, save money, get exercise, stop whining.

[@buszmen]

I used to work in car sharing company in Poland (refueling, cleaning, wheel swaps, small maintenance in general), and honestly I agree with everything stated in this video. I'm really happy to see a video which explains exactly how these companies work and also why it's more efficient to use shared cars instead of spending god knows how much on your own car.

[@KrolPawi]

I am curious. How often they were damaged by clients?

[@buszmen]

@@KrolPawi Very often, Poles are not ready for such way of transportation due their destructive nature, usually a lot of things from the car were missing, rubber rugs, even the trunk shelves. Accidents on road with our cars also happened, we would just go there, client would sign up a couple of papers and I had to call our befriended towing company to remove the car from the street. What later happened to the clients wasn't my problem, so I don't know.

[@uniworkhorse]

I've gotten a lot of pressure from friends and family to own a car and this solves my dilemma! The fact that you can just use larger cargo cars when needed is a game changer wtf

[@ixlnxs]

🧐 In 20 years, very few people will own a vehicle outright. We'll all share and it will free up so much space that is now wasted on cars parking there all day long.🤩

[@MrMoon-hy6pn]

@@ixlnxs i think you underestimate how many people want to own a car. Even if the alternative is better.

[@ixlnxs]

@@MrMoon-hy6pn Once they said the same thing about horses, I'm sure.

[@TheGrundigg]

@@ixlnxs Yeah, and after the horsesharing apps became popular people changed their minds.

[@ixlnxs]

@@TheGrundigg No, after trains became popular people changed their minds. But how many people ever bought a train?

[@gamelord12]

"[We use electric vehicles] because I generally consider it to be impolite to give little kids asthma when I'm going somewhere." Underrated snarky comments come from this channel for sure. I never really thought too much about the emissions of modern cars (besides the grand scale of climate change and all) until I started riding a bike in "shared lanes" of traffic and had to eat someone's exhaust. Sheesh. Can't wait for gas vehicles to be phased out.

[@SandersChicken]

We need a better battery. I'm sick of oil refineries and lithium mines powering our world. I say the next big advancement for humanity will be a clean efficient battery

[@CampGareth]

@@SandersChicken I don't disagree but think that current batteries are good enough to be better than petrol cars overall. It depends on the car being driven more than say 30k kilometres in its lifetime but that's pretty common.

[@SandersChicken]

@@CampGareth oh yeah electric is better assuming they are charged with clean energy. My gripe is when people say they are the solution to our problems when they are still mostly powered off fossil fuels and also use alot of nasty lithium. I really wish I or someone could come up with a new battery design. Won't stop me from getting one over a gas car, but yeah. Dreamin

[@LiftedStarfish]

Apparently Ford is currently planning to phase all of their current models to electric. We've already seen it with the F-150.

[@tardvandecluntproductions1278]

Having to share a bikepath behind a scooter or one of our 25km/h limited "snorfietsen" is even worse then a car. Those things must be inefficient as hell with the stuff that comes out of it.

[@JelmerBaas]

I've... always complained when I saw people driving a car share car, because they often drive less kilometers in a year, thus have less experience. Your video has reverted my opinion from "I hate them, I wish they'd go away" to thinking "how could I use this". Great work, keep it up.

[@geoff5623]

I expect the average time / mileage that car-share users drive is lower, but more so because they're people with less need of or interest in driving, and that won't necessarily correlate with skill. There's plenty of new drivers that own their car (or their parents do), 'experienced' drivers who haven't really improved their driving skills, or (perhaps worst) people who are overconfident in their abilities - they're just not as visibly differentiable. Many car-share users may have owned a car they drove regularly for years (or even still do own one), and my local car-shares have stricter limits on driving record in order to hold a membership (you can't become a member with two or more speeding tickets within two years - whereas five speeding tickets would only result in a temporary license suspension).

[@sd-ch2cq]

Afaik most accidents happen when drivers are bored or tired and move around 'on autopilot'.

[@evan]

As I live in London, I absolutely do not have any need for a car for day to day. But if I do want to do a road trip, I can just use a zipcar and it’s sorted. No registration fees when I’m not using it. No insurance fees when I’m not using it. No maintenance fees! That being said… There is an odd relationship you can develop with your own car. Back when I owned one in the states, it was like the only private place I had and it was mine. I could sit in there if I didn’t want to go in my house and there was an odd peace about it, even if it did always have issues as it was a 1993 Buick 😅

[@tashakamikarkori]

It's funny how I am watching this as a "petrol head" and still can agree with what you are saying in the video. Even though I won't give up car ownership simply for the convenience and enjoyment I get out of it, I can totally get why for most developed nations you don't actually need one

[@joejasat]

cherish it while you can

[@katt5896]

@@joejasat what?

[@inspirice9844]

@@katt5896 the future that governments wants us to have doesn't involve ownership

[@xavierjunod5967]

We have been car-free for 2.5 years in Vancouver Canada using caresharing when we need it. The main reason for going car-free was saving money, but Vancouver good transit and bike lanes network "allowed" us to think about ditching the car. Previous car (small and cheap) car costed ~6000 $ / year (insurance + gas + maintenance mostly done by myself). Now we spend ~2000$ /year for ALL transportation costs (carshare + transit + bike maintenance). A non-brainer!

[@MrIngeschus]

very expensive in comparison to Germany, although we have higher pas prices

[@Bolix345]

Isn't it hard cycling in vancouver with all those steep hill ?

[@xavierjunod5967]

@@Bolix345 You quickly get used to it as your legs adapt and all climbs are pretty short.

[@xavierjunod5967]

​@@MrIngeschus Car insurance is very expensive here. I would pay 200$ to 300$ /month for basic coverage (and no previous accidents).

[@MarcusH...]

@@xavierjunod5967 sounds like you're better off just sticking it in a jar and paying yourself if something ever happens to your car

[@AURORAFIELDS]

I never thought about services like this, but since moving away from a smaller city where car was... almost necessary, to a bigger city where its mostly just a nuisance, having the ability to use a car only when it would really help, or even be necessary, would definitely be a huge thing, instead of relying on other people who already own a car.

[@newsaxonyproductions7871]

I think that's the biggest thing about this: you only have to pay for it when you need it. I know a lot of people who would say "I can't go car-free! What if I need to run to Lowe's or or need a big grocery trip for the weekend" or something like that. Car sharing seems to rebutt that argument. Thanks NJB!

[@samd7389]

If you live in the US there are companies that do this here

[@eelexa]

I recommend it! I used to use Modo and it was super easy.

[@ColCurtis]

The worst thing about vehicle ownership is when people without vehicles have your phone number.

[@natesofamerica]

Car shares failed badly in the U.S. Especially when Enterprise and other major rental companies took over. It became more expensive than renting a car. And yes you're totally right about the hassle of car rental, it's terrible and very expensive in Costa Rica.

[@user-qb7ms6vs7s]

Car rental was a nightmare in odesa ukraine

[@adriaan6788]

"I generally think its impolite to gives little kids asthma if I'm going anywhere" is the best reason I have ever heard for electric cars. Discovered the channel a little while back and been binge watching since

[@thebabbler8867]

And it's less supply and demand. Electric energy is so easy to create. Nevertheless; Commercial and Sport vehicles NEED piston engines.

[@Joesolo13]

@@thebabbler8867 They definitely don't. Plenty of commercial vehicles work just fine as electric. And sports vehicles "needing" anything is silly. Most are purely for entertainment, not any kind of need. And don't try and twist it into emergency response etc, that's another subject entirely where it may be the case, but is not a "sport" vehicle.

[@Ry_TSG]

@@thebabbler8867 The electric Ford E-Transit van or GM Brightdrop would disagree

[@pleasedontwatchthese9593]

More kids die from getting hit or left in hot cars but I still agree that air quality matters and benefits not just kids but the driver and everyone around them

[@davidwooten3430]

That’s was an irrelevant statement. Driving economy version of gas is the same as creating co2 as a plant providing power to the car you drive. Most power is made this way

[@spherica1438]

This only works well if there are enough available cars in walking distance. I've tried using one of these services before (Zipcar), the nearest car would sometimes be an hour walk away. Maybe other cities are better.

[@johngreiner3879]

For me, 20 minute DRIVE to the nearest ZipCar, an hour by bus. That's because they are all near the center of the city.

[@janakiblum6695]

Zipcar was bought by A is and has been going downhill ever since. Switching cars on us at the last minute is common, usually to one far away.

[@hispanofilos]

That's probably why he mentioned having various car share apps. But car shares probably aren't profitable in car-driven landscapes.

[@TheMidwestAtheist]

@@hispanofilos There's definitely a feedback loop that would need to be broken. Because car shares aren't profitable in car-driven landscapes, it then becomes difficult for people to break that dependency because of the limited car share options. As with a lot of things, capitalism is the ultimate problem.

[@Sonosoz]

That's where the public transport here in nederland makes it easier to get to your rented car as well. I never had to spend more than 15 minutes on getting to the car I rented.

[@Ben-ixzIq]

Owning a car is either a necessity in certain places or a luxury in the others. Did the math of the total cost of owning a car for the past 5 years and it blew me away. Much more financial freedom in not owning one

[@runswithraptors]

Cars are a money pit. Car dealers are a government mandated plague on this planet. Fuck em all to death

[@namename8207]

@@runswithraptors you can buy a used car

[@jdb47games]

@@namename8207 It's still a money pit. We run a small 25 year old car, we do only 2000 miles a year, and I do all the servicing. It still costs £800 per year to run it.

[@namename8207]

@@jdb47games no i meant the dealer part.

[@namename8207]

@@jdb47games and it doesn't really matter if its a money pit if you like to drive

[@Amelia-vk4jt]

I didn't have my driving license or thought I needed a car untill I moved to the absolute middle of nowhere and found out that the nearest shop was 14km away. Was a huge hassle to cycle with my shopping up and down hills to get home especially in bad weather. So I got my license and bought a car.

[@rcmrcm3370]

He's said in many, many posts that its perfectly understandable for rural people to own and use their own transport, because they pay nearly the full burden of their taxes. I think the calculation is going to get more complicated when looking at environmental costs, but we're a long way from that state of intellectual development.

[@Amelia-vk4jt]

@@rcmrcm3370 yeah I know I just wanted to point out my experience. I grew up in a well connected European city and didn't understand how anyone needed a car. Then I moved here without any prior knowledge and that lesson was smacked into my face. The first few months where hard I didn't have anything except what I came in with (a backpack with stuff and my bike) no appliances (fridge) or furniture, and the nearest town was 14km away. If I wouldve known what I was getting into I would have said no but do I regret moving here, hell no. I'm surrounded by nature can partly live of my own land and really only go to the shop once a week for the rest.

[@Celisar1]

The middle of nowhere is obviously somewhere else if it’s a mere 14 km to the next shop.

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

@@zUJ7EjVD maybe grocery delivery is the service for you! of course, it costs more.

[@dmitriyobidin6049]

2:19 Somehow, this 1990 style website is more clear, concise and usable than any modern website...

[@ranterraver5959]

I have so much appreciation for the level of sheer, unabashed vitriol you have for the common problems with modern day transport. Specifically in reference to your description of SUVs here.

[@MarcoGPUtuber]

More than anything I wish we'd reduce our dependence on the car in Canada. Love your work.

[@daelbows5783]

I can't see Canada ever getting rid of our car dependency especially in suburban and rural parts of the country. However compared to other North American cities, Canadian cities do have more ppl in suburbs taking public transit. If we really wanna make a drastic change in how people move around, we need to intensify. But the problem is we have too many NIMBYs in our major cities that are pro-immigration, yet anti-development. They don't wanna destroy the "character of their neighbourhood." So the only places our immigrants can move to are the suburbs which are open to growth.

[@skipaddle]

Especially with the sprawl mentality of our city "planners".

[@MarcoGPUtuber]

@@daelbows5783 Hold your MP and MPP to the fire. I call mine all the time. Call your city councilmen.

[@daelbows5783]

​@@skipaddle ​ Our city planners know that spawl is bad. It's just that cities like Toronto make it SOOO hard to get a building permit which is why we suffer from a housing crisis. The only places willing to add more housing are our suburbs which tend to be more conservative and have a higher immigrant population, so they are willing to let urban sprawl happen.

[@daelbows5783]

​@@MarcoGPUtuber Lmaooo i got blocked by mine after I didn't agree with his stance on opposing a condo near Davisville station.

[@blu0065]

"Crappy SUV that holds way less than people think it does".

[@wohlhabendermanager]

This comment is just so true. I constantly hear people defend their big cars because "what if I need to carry a lot of stuff???" and then when they actually do need to carry a lot of stuff once or twice a year, they still have to rent a van because their crappy SUV is way smaller on the inside than it appears to be.

[@jest0riz0r]

The next sentence was so brutal as well lmao, "So here they are, driving around in this bloated piece of garbage vehicle for every trip, everywhere they go, and the one time they actually need it, it's not big enough."

[@fozyk1099]

@Frederick Shull With you man. Really getting fed up on people judging SUVs and their owners. No one is forcing you to buy SUV but to diminish other people's choice just to prove your point is straight up offensive. Not many people are wealthy enough to buy a normal sedan or hatchback for daily drive and a separate SUV for their weekend or holiday activities.

[@benjaminward4350]

@Frederick Shull I also enjoy hiking, camping, mountain biking, (ok, not kayaking) and I manage to fit it all in a 2 door golf GTI....but fair, your needs might be different to mine.

[@PG-3462]

@Frederick Shull Maybe you need a SUV, but the vast majority of people don't. Actually, most families have two SUVs, are they going to their kayak trip using two trucks??? Why not having one bigger car and a smaller one and use the smaller one when you don't need your truck. No one actually need huge trucks for all the family. For example, my neighbours have a Mercedes GLE and two Ford F-150, when are they gonna use all these trucks? To go camping with 3 camping trailers? (The worse part is that they don't do camping, mountain bike, kayak or any of that stuff) People purchase SUVs because they think they look cool, but for real they are useless for the majority of people

[@Bossi22]

Those dramatic reenactments are so lame. I love them.

[@ddelegate]

DRAMATIC REENACTMENTS! 😂😂

[@jevinliu4658]

It's just amusing how they are just too unreal to be dramatic

[@TheParkourFencer]

One thing that wasn't mentioned here and is a HUGE factor in Ottawa and likely many other places is that if you own a car, you need a parking spot. If you live in an apartment, this means you're either renting a more expensive apartment with parking included, or you have to get a separate parking spot that costs anywhere from $150-200 per month!!

[@christodang]

I've used carsharing when first moving to the US due to my [Canadian] license not being accepted for a swap (and it was COVID at the time so I wasn't in a hurry to redo all the tests) and honestly I don't see myself switching anytime soon unless I move again. It's just so much more convenient and like the video said, I don't commute by car for work so I only ever use it for leisure or errands so carsharing is perfect for my needs. I just wish it was available in more US cities because when I visit other places or friends/families across the country, I am "stuck" with car rentals. It's also an elastic game. When I used to own a car, I'd think like a car owner and not care about where I drove or whatnot. Now that I have to pay for it (even if it ends up being less), psychologically, I tend to think more efficiently about my trips and movements and I realize I was wasting a lot of time/money just for the sake of using my car.

[@VisStickPuree]

Neither of my parents have a driver's license (I do), so they have never owned a car. They also live in a village in the east, so car sharing isn't available there. There's a train station and busses (and ofcourse (electric) bikes) so they can get around to almost everywhere they want. It does make somethings harder, such as shopping at IKEA. I'm also a bit scared that my parents get home bound when their mobility becomes worse.. In any case, it is amazing that you can can have a normal life in NL without access to a car, even in a village in the east.

[@rjfaber1991]

I don't have a driving licence either. I always told myself that I'd get one whenever I got into a situation where it would really help if I could drive a car, but I turned 30 last month, and that situation still hasn't come. I just do everything by bike or train, or by bus if necessary.

[@hkr667]

I have a license but not a car and I do miss having one very often. Buying stuff too large/heavy to carry, moving stuff, going to remote places etc. Unfortunately car sharing only makes sense in dense cities with lots of services for them. Where I live there isn't one.

[@danielcarroll3358]

I am now 75 and have never owned a car. At the moment I don't have a license as it expired while I was working out of my country. I now live in the San Francisco Bay area, but have lived in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Germany. Life has presented no problems without a car and at one point I had to decide on buying a car or a house. The house has appreciated 1000%. What would the car have done?

[@gert-janvanderlee5307]

In my town (and the towns around it) it's still a normal thing to start driving lessons as you are legally allowed to.

[@jlammetje]

Great profile name, VisstickPuree 😂

[@KeeperOfTheSevenKeys.]

God living in an American suburb I wish we had half the nice things some European cities have. Living in city population density isn't for everyone but endless miles of nothing but houses isn't the answer.

[@johnathankain8033]

give it a couple days of having upstairs neighbours who don't give a damn about anyone other than themselves... and you'd disagree. Space and peace is so important.

[@schulterteufel]

Just move to Europe already.. need any other great solutions, contact me

[@SanTelmo1981]

@@johnathankain8033 I think that is the point though - it shouldn't be a choice between living in a built-up city or living in a suburb with nothing but houses where you have to drive to do anything. A suburb that has shops and cafes and restaurants and parks is not too much to ask for. There are videos on this channel which go into that subject more.

[@mats7492]

@@johnathankain8033 moving to a different apartment is possible in case you didn’t know🙄

[@kyleandramae4488]

@@johnathankain8033 maybe start advocating for building regulations that make apartments quieter

[@SurpriseMeJT]

I remember reading an article which indicated that car-centric environments are a large economic barrier for young people to attend college. Then there's the economic barrier to college itself....

[@xophere]

This analysis is very city and family specific. I have found exactly the opposite where the cost of a car share easily covered the cost of owning an older model car.

[@sheeperskipps]

Hey, as an urban and environmental planner and Sustainability enthusiast, your videos help re-defining what it is to be living in a city for me. I want to make the city of my dreams and this, this tackles many issues at once. How awesome!

[@trulyinfamous]

Unfortunately, living in a rural area means that I NEED to used a car to get anywhere. I'm not going to ride my bike 20 miles on really hilly roads to pick up groceries. I'd still never trade it for anything though. Living here is the best, it's extra perfect for me, someone who loves plants and the environments, to own a patch of woods right next to my house. I really, really wish we had better electric vehicle charging infrastructure around here though.

[@nicolascomesse7432]

I believe NJB's point is more "don't own a car if you don't use it often". It is crazy how much city people own a car and use it on a daily basis, while a bike + car share would be a lot cheaper and more practical. Living in the middle of nowhere, you don't really have that option yet, but it might just come one day with autonomous cars.

[@nolyspe]

Try an electric cargo bike.

[@TouchTheShark]

Yeah, I feel that. If there was a bus line to where I lived it'd get 1 rider a month, and if you biked to town you'd need to pack a tent. But if city folk were to take this guy's advice I imagine our seldom visits to town would be much more pleasant.

[@dustind5176]

I've seen a couple videos from this guy and they're only geared towards dense urban living in a 500sqft apartment. Ignore all the videos because they do not apply to you (and me).

[@fellinuxvi3541]

Yeah dude, even the most anti-car guys here make exceptions for rural areas.

[@fluffycritter]

I’ve always loved the idea of carshare programs, but whenever I’ve tried relying on one it’s always been more frustration than it was worth for me. All the cars being booked when I wanted to use them, or none being available near my starting point, or the previous renter being very late to return the car at the start of my booked time but the next renter being inflexible about when they needed to pick theirs up, or the gas tank being empty when I picked it up… and the customer service was always *lousy* on them whenever any issue like that happened. And this has been my experience in both Seattle and San Francisco, which are both cities which are ostensibly perfect for these sorts of systems.

[@aiahzohar5636]

Bad customer service -- thanks for reminding me/us! This is becoming, at least in the US, the standard, especially now everything's done via text/email.

[@potroastNthEastcoast]

I love these little quips of blunt realism you throw into these "...when a city is designed incorrectly...", "Genuinely think it impolite to give a little kid asthma..." They're like these little reminders that the gloves are off and they aren't going back on to the carcentric.

[@shoogeveen]

@@austinwilliams3448 Not necessarily when you get into it.. Just when you start the engine

[@alkazardeluxe]

You’re basically described all of my experience with a carsharing. I live in Moscow, and here we have a plenty of carsharing service which you can use the same way as in Netherlands. For my daily basic I use the public transport to commute to work and for my night shifts/shopping/hospitals I’m using carsharing, it’s cheaper, more convenient and I don’t need to worry about the damage that some jerk can do at night while I’m sleeping. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@volkov-auf]

@@موسى_7 Russia is really advanced technologically, digital banking, car sharing, delivery services are one of the best and the world (and our government are the most corrupt in the world, unfortunately ):

[@idiottv6499]

@@موسى_7 Moscow has an amazing modal split, with 70%+ trips done via public transport. Whatever it is that they're doing, it's working.

[@jakubondrus6064]

@@موسى_7 also, Moscow is one of the richest and most developed cities in the world

[@oliversissonphone6143]

@@volkov-auf does it very depending on which city you're in?

[@volkov-auf]

@@oliversissonphone6143 no, digital infrastructure is on same level basically everywhere. You can pay with applepay even in small villages. But now it doen't really matter :(

[@jdgrass6134]

These videos have really changed my view on my wanting to live in a city/suburb. I don't have a family yet but when I get one I want to be in an area that my kids can just go outside and hang with their friends wherever they want to and be safe and I can go out to get a morning cup of coffee before working at my at home job. Not because I can't make coffee but because I just enjoy sitting in local coffee shops and cafe's. I love the warm feeling on those "cold" days here in South Carolina. It's not really that cold lol.

[@albertogonzalez7631]

Oh where you from in South Carolina I’ve been to latta and Florence a time or two

[@firebird188]

I did a project with the university of Maastricht. We redesigned a neighbourhood in Maastricht called Mariaberg. It is a typical 'volksbuurt'. Among things like new infrastructure that was focused on bikes, we asked the resident about car-sharing instead of having a 'private' car. We knew that the cars in Mariaberg were more a status symbol than a transportation method (On average, a car in Mariaberg sat on a parking spot for 4 days). To my suprise, they wanted none of it, because they didn't trust each other (among other arguments). How lovely carsharing sounds, it will take more time to be fully integrated into cities. (I personally like the concept of carsharing).

[@ptolle92]

I'm not suprised at all. You said it yourself: a car is a status symbol, and nobody wants to lower their status. But these barely used cars really annoy me. I don't care if people spend too much money on a car they don't use. It's their money. But they also use a ton of space. And in cities, space is an extremely limited resource. And so much of that space is wasted for parking unused cars. That space could just as well be a bike lane, or a sidewalk, or a nice little park. Or parking for someone who actually uses their car. Something that actually improves people's lives.

[@roelkomduur8073]

Why is it important to you to call it a volksbuurt? And why did you not look at more affluent neighborhoods as well? Households in these neighborhoods have more cars per capita... Dumb, biased project i might say.

[@firebird188]

​@@roelkomduur8073 My view on this matter is that upper- and lower-class residents tent to have similar views on transportation as middle-class residents. It is not a supported thesis, only a short analysis when we worked on the project. Om het project bevooroordelend te noemen vind ik te kort door de bocht (ja, dat klinkt hypocritisch, maar ik ga geen essay typen over dit onderwerp). We waren vooral bezig met circulariteit en urbane energietransitie. Veel kennis is daarvan gebaseerd op feiten vanuit de gemeente Maastricht. Het project heet _City Deal, Kennis Maken_ (als je het boeit)

[@zarathoestranl]

@@firebird188 Has your paper been published? As I'm form Maastricht myself I am very interested in this.

[@roelkomduur8073]

@@firebird188 Dan nog, als je "Universiteit Maasticht" noemt geeft dat een zekere waarde. Als je dus nu zegt dat het geen echt onderzoek is wat lul je dan?

[@terinjokes]

NJB: "They haven't used these keys in 15 years, why do we still have it?" Me: still walking around with a keychain containing a City Car Share keyfob and two Bay Area Bike Share keyfobs, neither program having existed in many years.

[@googiegress]

I forlornly carry the punch card for a favorite restaurant that closed a decade ago.

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

@@googiegress what was her name bro? I am guessing that was your spot. Fond memories eh?

[@googiegress]

@@Ag3nt0fCha0s Oh there are some fond memories like that around this town, but in this particular case, it's actually just the restaurant.

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

@@googiegress i am dissapoint

[@googiegress]

@@Ag3nt0fCha0s IKR there should have been a beautiful story that wasn't about mango chicken or crispy eggplant in spicy sauce.

[@Dutchwheelchair]

this this would be great if there would more wheelchair accessible options

[@rcmrcm3370]

He covered that in an earlier video.

[@rcmrcm3370]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGrPqmqAn9Z4mJI I bet youtube will block this comment because link.

[@naruoze]

@@rcmrcm3370 KZbin won't block its own page.

[@rcmrcm3370]

@@naruoze Oh, it does, often. Maybe this one got a safe clearance.

[@enzicoxe]

@@naruoze it sometimes blocks links, since yk, self advertising ive seen it happen a couple of times, i post quite a few links to videos regarding the topic in a comment, and people often flag it as spam meaning it gets deleted by youtube + my comments dont get placed sometimes

[@starrmont4981]

My sister introduced me to your channel and I have become addicted. I live in a suburban hellscape in the US and this makes me want to move to Europe so badly.

[@RafaGmod]

I'm a car guy and when i saw videos like this i can just think: you're absolutely right. My car is my toy, i drive ot sporadicaly, only when i'll enjoy it or i realy need it. My main transport is my bike and secondary is the public transport. I make the maintenance, i care for it it runs like a clock, but i now that it don make any sense. Its a 2000 peugeot 306 btw, that make a lot of 500km+ trips :)

[@EmperorNefarious1]

As a car guy (as a hobby, I'd rather take a train or bike for a commute and errands) I always told people to get a Corolla if they wanted to know what car to get. Now I'll tell them to consider carsharing first. Perhaps I'll do so as well, don't want to overuse my beautiful car unless necessary.

[@dalton-at-work]

i feel the same way. id love to have options but im never getting rid of my old celica. i feel like hobbyists like us need to be politically aware so that our hobby isnt demonized and lumped in with commuter cars

[@nmpls]

@@dalton-at-work, yeah most "car people" are fucking maddening. There's nothing fun or enthusiastic about commuting in a car moving 5 mph. Hell, a good 1/4 of the reason I live a 15min bike ride from work is to keep the miles off my unreliable hunk of junk that I absolutely irrationally love. I love that Jalopnik has become an unironic public transit/human powered transit promoter.

[@bugsygoo]

I'm a car guy, too. But I refuse to own a car because it is an insane thing to do unless you have money to waste. (I know there is no choice for many) instead, I use car share. A few weeks ago, in the space of about 10 days, I drove a Mercedes A class, a Mercedes GLS, BMW 1 series, i3, electric mini and a stupid SUV thing. If I were to buy a car, it would strictly be for fun trips only.

[@dalton-at-work]

@@bugsygoo you're not a car guy lol

[@bugsygoo]

@@dalton-at-work Well excuse me, oh great decider of whose who. I like cars. That's enough for me. Sorry if I don't fit into your preconcieved notions. Mind you, you fit perfectly into my preconcieved notions of an utter wanker.

[@jacnel]

4:30 thank you for calling out SUVs for what they really are. Fuel inefficient, mega sedans which serve no purpose well other than to help people feel "bigger." As someone who drives and loves his Civic, and generally prefers smaller cars, I hate that SUVs are taking off. My favourite type of SUV has to be the small one. What purpose does it serve? You can't put shit in it, it's not as fuel efficient as a sedan, and it's still bulky and not fun to drive.

[@squirmtastic]

Lol I drive a 2005 lexus rx330 (not by choice, I needed a car desperately ((because I live in hell hole car dependent suburbia)) and that's what I got) and this is very true

[@fusionfallmaina]

I prefer driving a large SUV, the extra space is always makes longer drives and chilling in my car more comfortable.

[@Zanador]

I don't like them either, but unfortunately I own one anyway. I moved into a house with an extremely long and steep driveway that our previous fuel-efficient car couldn't reliably get out of after it snowed (even after plowing and salting). We needed a new car ASAP so that I could get out of the house and get to work the next time it snowed, and the only options at the dealership that had 4-wheel drive were SUVs and pickup trucks. The SUV was cheaper and seated more people, so the choice there was obvious.

[@fusionfallmaina]

@@krispy777 Larger cars are usually more comfortable for longer commutes.

[@julianrosas9134]

Great news buddy- you don’t have to buy one! Lmao

[@Brevislux112]

Honestly, we lived without a car for a very long time. We live in a city and don't drive to work. However after several years of removing and installing safety seats for every trip I got tired of it. And if you have small children you have a problem there, because you can't take a trip with them by yourself. Someone has to stay with them when you go out to fetch the car, park it near your apartment (not always possible in the city) and put the safety seat in place. Honestly it was exhausting. Now we have a car we only use about once a week to visit family and take trips. It was just not practical any other way. There has to be some kind of solution for families with young children, but so far it's not here.

[@LycanB64]

I got rejected from a 9-5 desk job in Canada at the last second because I didn't own a car. Legit the conversation was, "Hey! Your interview went great :) not that we needed it (I'd been doing an internship there for half a year already). Just one thing: Do you have a license and a car?" "No, I just turned 16 actually." "Oh no. I'm sorry, we can't accept your application then." "Wait, but isn't this just regular hours, and at the same place? I get here early everyday already as an intern and haven't had a problem with on-location work either." "Yes, but unfortunately this position requires you to be able to drive." "Where?" "It doesn't matter where. Really sorry. Have a good week." Sometimes it's not the city that's the problem, it's the ingrained mindset of corporations -_-

[@PseudoFiction]

Having your own vehicle is more about employers knowing you can reliably get to work since public transit is so terrible. And if you're young, you are more likely to be making car payments, so you more reason to actually come to work.

[@LycanB64]

@@PseudoFiction I had been early or on time every single shift of the internship, and these were the same work hours. They had no justification for believing my timeliness was in question now. As for the payments thing; sounds like you think people need to be in debt to want to work? That's not how motivation works 😂 maybe we should also pay starvation wages and tie their basic human rights like healthcare to their job so they're reliant on their employer for everything?

[@LycanB64]

@@PseudoFiction moreover, the job posting didn't say anything about needing a car for the job. It was a thing they didn't even think to mention until the end, I guess assuming everyone had a car? Nor does having a vehicle mean I'm making payments. Could have been a gift or hand-me-down from family; in fact that would be more likely for someone still in school

[@collingriebling6089]

This was my experience living in Boston. I didn’t own a car and on the couple occasions I needed one, I used a car share called Zipcar. I saved a lot of money.

[@kevinwang7731]

I was going to ask what you could use in the States Now I remember! Good old Zipcar. What is it? Like $10 per hour?

[@FlagstaffslowTV]

I really miss Columbus, Ohio, USA's old Car2Go program. I went for so long without needing to have my own car. Really miss that.

[@imilliterate4812]

I don't even know what this program is but I'm glad to see someone from Columbus on this channel!

[@SandersChicken]

Oh man I remember seeing one of those cars in Gahanna completely stripped down, they took the seats hahahaha

[@mattcaff]

I used to live in Columbus and remember that service. We had it here in DC too - they shut down here a little after they shut down in Columbus. Hopefully another service will expand to Columbus soon!

[@mikeschumacher]

Shut it down here in San Diego as well. Double default on the contract because the charging station supplier filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, then Car2Go changed their policies so you couldn't leave cars close to the airport. Guess what 80% of their business was?

[@FlagstaffslowTV]

@@imilliterate4812 it was an App/RFID card based car sharing program that used Smartcars. They were always avaible and very convenient. It was primarly based around Downtown, Short North, Grandview, Campus, Clintonville, And Northland (maybe forgot a few other places). It also allowed trips to and from the airport with an added fee. It is gone now though!

[@KownKR7]

I personally could never imagine not owning a car but thats just because I love cars, I love working on cars and I like to drive. But its definitely nice to see how far car sharing has come and how easy and convenient it is nowadays

[@NotJustBikes]

If you love cars, you should really want everybody else to not be in a car; especially those people who don't want to drive. Driving in the Netherlands is awesome.

[@KownKR7]

@@NotJustBikes Yeah I've been to the netherlands a few times for vacation and I also wanna do my master there so I'm already quite accustomed to driving there and its actually quite nice. I mean I always miss the german autobahn but I definitely prefer the city traffic in netherlands over germany

[@KownKR7]

@@coastaku1954 hell yeah

[@bow-tiedengineer4453]

Yeah, owning your car because you need it for transportation sucks, owning a cool car because you like it, but not having to depend on it in an emergency because you can just use a different one, is great. Personally, I just want decent public transport so I don't have to learn to drive, but as someone who likes old machines, I have a great respect for people who enjoy fixing cars. I view it as the same as people who have a traction engine, or a shop full of vintage tools.

[@KownKR7]

@@coastaku1954 Yeah insurance is quite expensive, right now I got a BMW 320i e46 2.2 I6, great car maybe not as good as an e36 because it has an open diff but I enjoy it

[@AliceDiableaux]

Damn, I think you just convinced me. I've had my drivers license since I was 18 but in the past 7 years since then have never been able to justify owning a car, because I've always lived in cities. But very infrequently it would be better than a bike, especially for things like having to take both my cats to the vet for yearly check-ups and such. I looked into renting a private car (a site where just regular people would rent out their cars) years ago but it seemed like a bigger hassle than just managing with my bike. But seeing how easy car sharing has become, which I had no idea about, that might actually be the perfect solution.

[@katniss2000]

11:53 That is one thing I really like in the Netherlands, the pedestrians have right of way, but still make a nice 'thank you, have a nice day' gesture when people driving cars stop for them. These kinds of interactions make traffic a lot more personal and friendly. You interact with the person rather than the vehicle. I'm not sure if this is exclusively in the Netherlands (probably not) but I've not encountered this as much in my limited travels abroad.

[@davidwebb913]

Car sharing is not as rosy as you make it out to be. I tried it for a year and there are a few key issues: 1) the car may not be in the spot during the time you booked it. You will then need to call customer service and find another car at the spot. 2) since you drive a different car every time, you need to adjust for the seating positions, mirror positions, throttle response, brake response, car sizes, and basic ops controls (e.g. wipers) every time you drive. All these increase the odds of you getting into an accident. There cars are usually the base trim, with the least amount of safety features, which don't help. Also, you never know what did the last person do in the car. 3) these cars are usually dirty, inside and out. Some of them are down right disgusting. 4) you have to return the car in the scheduled time, and in a city centre, you usually can't extend the rental time last minute. This means all your trips have to conclude in a set amount of time, no more spontaneous plans while on the road. 5) for people with babies/kids, can be a huge hassle to install the baby seat every time you drive.

[@slash196]

I took a carshare to where I am right now, and will take another back. But not all cities have such great availability of the service.

[@lemonade4181]

This is what I try to tell my dad. We drive the car once a week max. And I live in Toronto.

[@DarkDutch007]

watch out for in colder periods that the battery isn't flat when you really really need the car.

[@liamness]

Imagine all the other people in the exact same situation. How much material and energy was wasted constructing all those vehicles. How much road space is wasted storing said vehicles. My local council (Hackney, London) calculated that every fleet vehicle in a car sharing scheme takes 20 others off the road.

[@DarkDutch007]

@@zUJ7EjVD From Xaviers post I read it as the father has a personal car that only get used once a week max.

[@genericpseudoname160]

@@liamness just get a second hand car if you are worried about the materials and energy used. Giving money to those companies will only allow them to order more cars (again, more energy and materials required) instead of you becoming independent of public transportation / a business model.

[@MrHenkkkie]

Carsharing is great when there is a reliable number of cars available within walking distance. Currently that is in larger cities. Unfortunately, even in cities like Breda only one car can be available within walking distance, which isn't very convenient.

[@disklamer]

How many cars do you need? Most people only use one at a time anyway.

[@MrHenkkkie]

@@disklamer That is not what I mean: chances are that the only car in walking distance is already used by another person, which means you can't use that car. Then you have to walk 2 to 3 kilometers to the next car.

[@peterkierstv]

Wageningen is a way smaller city with a university and it has carsharing everywhere. likely due to the student population, green mentality and absence of a train station. it's largely based on demand i think. if no one uses it they won't expand.

[@orangew3988]

Agreed, I use a car club, but I live in a city. I can see from the app that it wouldn't be as convenient in other towns around me.

[@octorokpie]

@@peterkierstv and no one will use it if it's not convenient enough to replace their car. And it won't be convenient enough until it's expanded... It's the same problem that plagues development of public transit. Phasing it in is difficult because people won't really use it until it reaches critical mass. Unless there's high enough population density, you won't get enough users to justify expanding to the point most people are willing to use it.

[@lucifernebulae]

1. I do not like people 2. That means I do not like living in heavily populated areas 3. I prefer living near city, not in the city. 4. Car means I am not dependent on others. 5. Car gives me freedom to go wherever I want, without others being involved. 6. I want to own stuff I use - I don;t want to share car with othes, I don't want to share my home with others, I do not want to share bike with others, I don't want to share my wife with others.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I love your last joke 12:22. I like to imagine people who say they hate wind turbines messing up the view saying, "I left Holland to get away from those damned things!"

[@peter_smyth]

I don't own a car, I have a bike. I haven't needed to yet, but I planned to just rent a car whenever I needed one. Before this video, I didn't know anything about car share services, but now I'm even more convinced that I won't need to own a car.

[@85aksiznarf]

I sold my car in October 2019. Even with just staying in its parking lot it cost me 3500 Swiss francs (for parking space, insurance and maintenance). It was a good decision. The car sharing program I'm in has fixed stations but that's no problem for me. Most of the time when I need a car, I need it from home and the next station is only 500 meters away. I won't change back to owning a car as long there's a shared car where I live.

[@torresalex]

Absolutely loved the summary on the nightmare that it is to rent a car.

[@a1white]

It’s like the are stuck in the 1990’s. The ridiculous amount of time and admin involved must cost them so much money

[@bikenraider99]

"...96% of the time a car just sits...." never more true than during the pandemic. That alone blew my mind

[@haileypewtress2414]

I live in Calgary and for most of my adult life I have lived in the downtown without a car. This was pretty difficult but when we had the car sharing service ‘car to go’. This service was amazing and helped me save hundreds of dollars a month. This service was well used by those living in downtown but hated by those that commuted. When they pulled out of the city I was heart broken but because I hate owning a car I chose to attempt to live without one for about two years making most of the city inaccessible. Help, I hate it here.

[@jakubhoffmann3240]

I’m from Canada and I bike, when I grow up I’ll move somewhere where there’s good infrastructure

[@thisismarkbro]

Move within Canada or overseas ?

[@eelexa]

Only a select few cities in Canada actually have good transportation infrastructure and all of them are expensive to live in.

[@tokiomitohsaka7770]

I haven’t owned a car in 10 years, cars are useful, but a pain to own.

[@tokiomitohsaka7770]

@@bertjesklotepino Having to maintain it is a pain, having to pay road tax, and other regular fees is a pain. It is much more convenient when all of that is somebody else’s problem, and I know exactly what I am going to pay. Sure, if you use the car every day it makes sense to own one, but for the 5-10 days a year when I need a car, I would rather rent it. Even for less extreme cases like myself, a lot of people would benefit from not owning a car for all the reasons mentioned in the video. Car sharing is more convenient than owning, especially when you might want a different type of vehicle for a different trip. I know for sure my old Yaris wouldn’t be particularly useful when I make a trip to IKEA, but a van is perfect, and using a van for every day life is overkill and inefficient. When talking about corona, this is a special situation that is specific for that period, we are talking in general. Also, it is more likely that the dashboard and steering wheel will be the infested part, and if the car was parked in the sun, it is likely that the virus was mostly killed, and some basic hygiene practices eliminate that risk even further. Owning a car is a much higher expense than most people realise. As for pride, I often find that pride gets in the way of making the best decision. I always ask myself for every object I own “would I buy it now if I had not had this item and had the cash money (equal to how much I can sell this item for) in my hand?” If the answer is no, I would sell it. This way, I own only the things that make financial sense or make me happy. Owning a car didn’t make me happy at all, and it didn’t save me any money, so I chose not to own one. Again, I am not saying that no one should own a car, just that many people would benefit from making an analysis of their own lifestyle and specific needs and reevaluate their need for a car. Some would find that they don’t need to own one, others would find that they need one, but not two, while other families would realise that their current setup is ideal for their lifestyle.

[@stepchildofsoul]

I live in Texas and have never owned a car. I live in downtown and rarely visit the suburbs. I've come to the conclusion that with all the options I have for getting around these days (all of which could be improved, for sure), if I can't get there, I don't need to go.

[@bengagnon2894]

@@tokiomitohsaka7770 I own two old cars. Very old cars in modern standards (a 92' and a 94'). I've paid 2 000 $ for each of them. One is for summer weekend trips (fun). One is for short distances travelling (I also mainly walk when the distance is 3 km or less). Both cars costs me next to nothing if I don't use them. I really like them. I see those as relics of a not-so-distant past when quality (and simplicity) mattered over quantity (and complexity). I do enjoy keeping them clean and in mechanical order. It has nothing to do with pride though. It has to do with fun. It's a hobby. I don't need two cars. But I own them anyway. And when I see all those new, shiny electric cars being driven on the road, I know that my two old cars will survive those pieces of crap, weither they are shared or not. The cars you're sharing right now will be crushed in the junkyard in a few years, and my cars will still be running. What is the average lifespan of a new car, weither it is shared or not? Mind you, if I had the choice to take a train to make interurban trips, I would use it. I've lived 6 months in France in 2010, and it was amazing, being able to use a train to go pretty much anywhere I wanted. But I live in Canada, and the last passenger train connecting my city to any other city went bankrupt in the 90' where I live. This said, I would not get rid of my old cars anyway. I would still keep them as a hobby. By the way, I'm an urban planner. And I absolutely love the idea of a walkable city. But I also love my city, which is, sadly (at least for now), far from that stage. I'm currently trying to change mentalities. As for the mass transit here... I won't even talk about it. I think that car-sharing might be a good idea in the short run, but in long terms, it becomes a false-good idea, especially within the boudaries of a city. I thinkg that it keeps municipal politics from thinking the grid otherwise. A much needed way of thinking otherwise... An urgent way of thinking otherwise... Like putting a bandage over a gangrenous leg. The road tax here are paid by everyone, not just the owners of cars. I personnaly think that there should be a huge tax on new car buyers/renters. Instead, here, you receive money if you buy a new electric car. Companies that are renting electric vehicle also receive money. Why do I have to pay for people to buy new cars? Why do I have to pay for those companies new shiny cars? It is just complete insanity. It is destroying the planet.

[@tokiomitohsaka7770]

@@coastaku1954 If you know how to fix a car it becomes less of a headache, but it still requires you to spend time that could have been used for other things. Personally, I hate driving manual, having loud engines. If I am going to drive somewhere, I prefer an electric car. I don’t care about handling or power, I get no better joy from driving a mustang than I do from driving a Zoe or a Leaf, if anything the quiet and peaceful ride is much more enjoyable to me. Not everyone is a car person. If you own a car because you like it, that’s fine, but not everyone is like that. Most car owners I know own cars because they think they need to own one to get around (sometimes it is true, sometimes it isn’t).

[@tokiomitohsaka7770]

@@bengagnon2894 Again I am not saying that you shouldn’t own cars, I am just saying that a lot of people may benefit from not owning one. If owning cars bring you joy, more power to you. With that said, car sharing is not destroying the planet, and is a lot more environmentally friendly than regular car ownership. A fleet of 10 cars that serve 50 people mean that 40 cars don’t need to be manufactured only to spend most of the time parking somewhere. And while these 10 cars will be scrapped sooner than most privately owned cars, they will end up getting a high mileage before being scrapped, and are regularly being maintained and serviced. And with electric cars, they last much longer than the average ICE car. As for governments encouraging people to buy new electric cars, this encourages people who were going to buy a new car anyway to buy an electric one. And frankly, in the bottom line, it is more environmentally friendly than keeping an old petrol or diesel car (probably less than two years to break-even), even when you consider the production of the car and batteries. And considering that electric cars have less parts that may need servicing and replacing, you are going to keep an average electric car for longer than an average ICE car from the same year. Here is a video that talks about it in greater detail kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIPLpZyGmsuJsK8 and even this video doesn’t take the other processes involved in the oil industry, just the petrol/diesel burn itself. So it is very likely that by the end of the first year to break-even.

[@Jonathan-kraai]

last time i was driving a car by myself was when i stuffed all my furniture into a rented van and moved to the netherlands. That is now more than 6 years ago. on avarage i spend like 2-3 hours per year sitting in a car as a passanger. i do everything by bike and public transport. cycling is just sooo great here.

[@cjohnson3836]

I do 95% of my travel by bike most of the year, save for summer when I must drive a field vehicle for research work. I do this in Texas, the least bike friendly place on the planet. To me, the Netherlands sounds magical.

[@annabounds918]

As someone who has always hated driving and was forced to get a license as soon as I was old enough, this service sounds like an excellent alternative to allow me to just be upset about driving and not be upset about literally everything else that makes it even worse. Too bad I live in America

[@gladtobeangry]

Hey, just another dutchy here binging your videos to feel better about my own country, I just want to say, thanks, this video has given me genuine food for thought. I'm currently in the process of getting a driver's license, and I've been saving up as much as I can to buy a car when I finally get the coveted document. But living here in The Hague, just the cost of parking and the headache worrying about people in my not so great neighbourhood vandalizing it, is enough to give me nightmares. This seems like a genuinely better alternative, so I'm definitely going to start trying these car-share services for a while, before I decide whether I really need a car or not. There, you taught me something useful. And to think I only came here to feel proud of the Netherlands.

[@rjdverbeek]

In Amsterdam there is another great advantage to local car sharing. You don't need to pay for parking. When for instance my mother is in town and we want to go to a museum in the centre I get an electric two-seater. We drive to the museum and park in front it so she doesn't has to walk to much. Normally you would pay like 20 euros for a three hours to park your own car in Amsterdam. For less then 10 euros you can do the same trip with car sharing. So car sharing can be even cheaper on a single trip then the same trip with your own car.

[@NotJustBikes]

You can't film a street in Amsterdam without seeing practical 21-st century transportation solutions. :)

[@joakim69]

I was wondering about parking. Do they have a free pass on paid parking or is it auto paid and then included in the price?

[@rjdverbeek]

@@joakim69 The city has made parking free for car sharing companies. As a driver you don't need to do anything. Just park the car.

[@Elinious]

I am 31 and have never owned a car.. I did subscribe to a car share service for several months but unsubscribed because I didn't use it enough. (I used Greenwheels, it was fine). I'm moving out of Amsterdam tho, as I cannot find affordable housing here so we are contemplating a car for the future.

[@GhostOfAMachine]

Housing prices are insane everywhere. My own house which is small by American standards and run down got appraised at $1m by the locality. My parents bought the house for $30k in 1995 and sold it to me for $125k in 2007

[@Arjay404]

5:44 €2,10 so essentially slightly more then the price of a bus ride, except with all the benefits of not having to wait for a bus, not having to deal with other people, not having to stop at every bus stop, being more free on what you can do in the vehicle, etc etc. Edit: OH! And that's the price regardless of how many people are in the car, so if you have two parents and 2 kids, that's 52 cents per person. There's almost nothing you can buy for 52 cents. So the bigger your family the better the price becomes.

[@rcmrcm3370]

There is the cost of your attention and your social isolation. Some might consider tis good to be socially isolated from fellow humans, but not being able to read a book, day-dream looking out the window, etc are all clear negatives.

[@カリユガ-u6f]

@@rcmrcm3370 counter point 1: When was your last social interaction with strangers on public transport? counter point 2: Some people find driving to be more enjoyable and less boring than sitting and playing with your phone every morning. (of course this depends on where you drive)

[@_Diktator]

I get this is pretty much an ad, and that it's mainly aimed at people living in large cities, but... This just doesn't work everywhere. Not every country has access to these services, even if they do, it's usually just in larger cities. If you live in a smaller town, good luck with not having a car (Don't get me wrong, you might not need it for daily use, but it's still necessary to own one). Besides, there's plenty of car guys out there in larger cities, so this video doesn't apply to them either. Some people (me included) are petrolheads. We don't own a car for simply going from point A to point B (from home to work and vice versa). To me, having a car represents having freedom. It's something I own that can bring me joy. I can go anywhere I want, anytime I want. I just don't have to rely on anyone else (be it taxi, a service, public transport, etc). Imagine everyone using this service, trying to go to work at 8am. How would you provide so many cars? As others have already said: "You'll Own Nothing and You'll Be Happy" - And I'm not getting into the conspiracy, but simply pointing out that everything is becoming a service. Where does it end? Are we going to end up owning absolutely nothing? Are we the ones who will become owned?

[@LouisPeplerify]

Inspired by this, I signed up for carsharing where I live, in Toulouse, France. After I got it I went for a ride in a Friday afternoon. Spent 20 minutes sitting in traffic, 10 minutes looking for a parking spot... Geez, now I'm so glad I don't actually own a car and have to deal with this every day... The overcrowded rush hour Metro feels much more cosy now.

[@bobosims1848]

Makes sense to not own what you do not need, doesn't it? Saves you money, hassle and frustration. It's a pity that so many people do not yet get this concept. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on carshare!

[@hispanofilos]

There are so many things that we own and store to use maybe once a month or once a year! I'd love to have tool share, vacuum share, lawn mower share, pressure cooker share...

[@DL-xv9dm]

I'm a car guy, so I enjoy owning a car even if it does cost a lot. I don't like that I have to use it all the time though. Where I live, walking, cycling, and public transport are not really viable options. The grocery store is a mile away from me, but I still drive there even if I need something small because it's really the only option.

[@liamness]

"Car people" aren't born though, they are products of their environment. If you rely on your car heavily and use it daily, of course you're going to form some kind of emotional attachment to it.

[@Jehty_]

Why is driving one mile to the store the only option? Is it really impossible to get there by foot?

[@DL-xv9dm]

@@liamness I don't believe so. I've been interested in them long before I could drive. I like the history of cars and the engineering that goes into new technologies and the differences in cars that you may not suspect. My attachment to my cars comes from the work I put into them, not the value I get out of them.

[@DL-xv9dm]

@@Jehty_ It's a mile by car. I can technically walk there the same way, but I'll be walking in gutters by cars going 50 mph. If I want to use a sidewalk, I have to navigate through the suburbs and the walk ends up being much longer.

[@Jehty_]

@@DL-xv9dm how much longer? And why can't you use a bike through the suburbs?

[@painting4850]

6:40 ah the common situation where you're ev has broken down and you have to open the hood to fix it up

[@NotJustBikes]

"Hello operator? Yeah, the engine is missing ... I don't know! I just opened the frunk and it was gone!"

[@vasilivoloshin]

Great video. I also live in the Netherlands, but I recently got my driver's licence and I was not able to use it with shared cars or rental cars ( because I'm considered to be an inexperienced driver), so I had to buy a car myself. I can approve the thesis that owning car is a very expensive pleasure ( in the Netherlands): you pay road tax, you pay insurance, you pay maintenance, gas. Most likely I will sell it after I get some enough experience, because I don't need it for my work or to commute, only occasionally.

[@DavidFraser007]

It's easy to say that you need a car if you don't drive to work, we also lived in London, West Hampstead and then Kentish Town. I commuted by bicycle, 11 miles each way, and my wife by bus. People were actually surprised that we had a car as I was very vocal about cycling, but we used it for shopping and getting the kids out of London at the weekends. Back then, in the 90s up until 2006 I felt I was the only cyclist on the road. These days we live about 2 hours from Prague in a small provincial town, the nearest supermarket is 15km and we are both in our 60s now, yes, we need our car. There are absolutely no cycle paths or lanes here, but the traffic is light and cycling for leisure is very popular. Sometimes you can see old ladies cycling to the shops on very old rusty single speed bikes. However, because most people here are bicycle owners they do drive safely around bikes. Up until 2 years ago I was cycling 7km to the nearest railway station and commuting by train for the rest of my journey. I should point out that nothing is flat here, it's either up or down, I need all my 21 gears.

[@PersonS6]

Ahh this came two months after I bought my car... I'm planning to sell it again after the summer so it's nice to know this exists. Can't believe not more people talk about this

[@uncinarynin]

I'm a 50 year old self-employed engineer living in an Austrian town. I have lived in numerous places in my life and never owned a car. I do all local transport with my bike, including everyday grocery shopping, and use trains to go longer distances. I recently joined the ÖBB Rail&drive program that allows me to rent cars for a reasonable price. Such as when I want to transport something heavy or need to go to a place that is not connected by public transport. They are based at the parking deck of the railway station, about 15 minutes walking from here. However it's a good idea to reserve in advance because at times all cars are occupied. When using it for the first time I had to call support twice (for getting out of the parking garage and locking the car correctly in the end) but now that's sorted out so it should go smoothly next time. As I only need cars irregularly this solution is acceptable and much cheaper than owning a car, also I don't have the hassle of it losing value, of maintenance, changing tyres etc., all that is done and the car is ready to run. The only thing is that at times of high demand there might be no car available (or not the one I'd ideally choose). So I'll take a diesel Golf if the electric Zoe is currently used by another person. (And yes, turning off the radio was also the first thing I had to do, besides unplugging the charging cable) There is no free-floating car sharing service in this town though.

[@leopoldleoleo]

The Evo system in Vancouver is amazing, and is the only reason I don’t own a car

[@Cowboydjrobot]

Home depot rents flatbed trucks for $19/hr + gas. It’s very convenient. I can usually rent the truck, load it up at the store, drive home unload the supplies and return the truck with an hour. I can still do home improvement and gardening without needing to own a truck

[@corktail7900]

this concept was already in open world games and we didn't notice it. you dont even own a car in many games but you can just go up to any car and drive it

[@pingu255]

Bruh I'm doing my maths coursework now I have to stop to watch this vid 😤😤

[@NotJustBikes]

Exercise 1: Calculate how many hours per year you would need to drive in order for car ownership to be more cost-effective than carshare. Show your work.

[@A320Pilots]

I see you went all out on stock footage with this one :D The part at 6:40 with the Tesla did crack me up though. Open hood to simulate a breakdown but that's really just the front trunk.

[@NotJustBikes]

"Yeah, operator? The engine is missing ... I don't know, I just opened the frunk and it's not there!"

[@ME-hm7zm]

That's where he found the bodies.

[@JeremiahBelocura]

I've really enjoyed discovering (or the algorithm gifting me) your channel and resonate with pretty much everything you've been saying. I went car-free during lockdown and have mostly been thriving since. Unfortunately, I have to say that my carshare experience with Zipcar here in Center City Philadelphia has been atrocious. On multiple instances my reserved car was not present, and during one especially obnoxious situation, I cycled (literally and figuratively) through three cars in three opposite ends of the the downtown core only to find none of them either present, working, or unlockable. Furthermore, the cars have been anything but super clean, but admittedly, that has more to do with us Philadelphians than anything. I really wanted carsharing to be the solution for when I need wheels, but honestly Hertz (ironically) has been much more dependable and still somehow reasonably priced.

[@Anduin5]

The thing that’s hard about this type of car ownership is I do a lot of wilderness backpacking and remote hiking in the US. Many of these services are for the city only, and if even if I could take them outside of the city, I’d be paying for them to be left at a trailhead for days. Unfortunately most of the backpacking I do is not accessible by public transit. Honestly though, I’ve still never done the calculations to see if this would still be cheaper even with that expense. That could be the case.

[@vamuse]

I get you. But really this isn't for 100% of people. It's for the 50% or so that live in urban areas (and the 68% projected to live in cities by 2050). If even half of those people didn't own cars it would have a massive impact on climate, traffic, health and... well pretty much every measure. And for people who NEED a car, they can still own one. Similar argument: I don't think gasoline cars should be illegal to own, but _most_ people definitely should be driving electric...

[@reinerjung1613]

No one would own a cow just so they can have a liter of milk, but with cars it is totally normal to have one.

[@reinerjung1613]

@@safe-keeper1042 I borrowed it from someone. Unfortunately, I forgot from whom.

[@3of11]

I LOVE how you point out how SUVs actually don’t have shit for storage space. Meanwhile the minivan or van van holds far more stuff or people/kids while being much more fuel efficient. It’s like. You buy an SUV if you live or travel mountain or dirt roads on a regular basis.... otherwise you are a poser!

[@NotJustBikes]

Yup! An SUV is inferior to a van or station wagon for almost every conceivable realistic use case. The only reason they still is exists is because US auto manufacturers used them to skirt CAFE regulations. The book "High and Mighty" is a good summary of their history, written by a Detroit auto journalist.

[@Schlabbeflicker]

Traditional SUVs and trucks are pretty much the only ways you are getting down rough ranch roads or un-maintained forest service roads. Seen too many people in winter trying to take their Subaru Outbacks and Honda Pilots down roads with two foot snow drifts. Sure, the 4x4 guys get stuck too, but more by a lack of experience than by the limitations of their vehicles. The experienced Subaru owners already know how far they can drive before they need a different tool.

[@alfonsokhiew2872]

@@coastaku1954 Dont be fat.

[@alfonsokhiew2872]

@@coastaku1954 Oh, okay. Being tall is good 👍

[@hispanofilos]

@@coastaku1954 sometimes smaller cars can have surprising headroom. I'm only 5'6 but it's all above the waist. My ex drove a K-car for years because he had a similar build and that car fit him well.

[@YodhrinsForge]

I'm usually extremely suspicious of the whole "you'll own nothing and you'll be happy" approach to things - eroding ownership is almost always, in my experience, primarily about eroding your rights as a consumer by allowing corporations to fully set the terms of your interactions with the product or service(and since tech or tech-adjacent companies trend towards borderline-monopolistic conglomeration over time, you almost always end up in a situation where your choice is "take what they give you or get nothing at all"). For a few things - chiefly very very expensive physical objects that a typical person will use infrequently - models like this really do make sense. I think they would make *more* sense under public ownership so they could be run at-cost, but even weighed down by the private sector's priorities they still make more sense than every individual having to own a car just in case they might need one.

[@stevefuller2755]

Imagine if the people that run Facebook ran the car sharing companies. You said something last time you were in a car (we know where you go and we can listen to you too) you said something that indicates you believe things that the government doesn’t want you to believe. You are banned from using our cars for the next 48 hours. If it happens again, you will be banned permanently.

[@DanTheCaptain]

The only problem with these services is that they’re still very niche, especially here in North America. For someone like me living outside of downtown (cause it’s inhumanly expensive), car sharing services are impractical because all the cars are located in the downtown core. So it doesn’t make sense for me to have to take transit downtown just to get said car and drive it where ever. These services are only good if you live right downtown. For me it makes much more sense to just buy one and incur the financial penalty.

[@Phiyedough]

Yes, I live in a tiny village with no buses but there is obviously no car share available. If I wanted access to car share I would need to live in a city but then I would probably go by bus!

[@malimrav24]

Depends on ones wishes... I drive my bicycle to work but also have a car because 90% of my car's usage is to go fishing 20-30-50km from my house (on a places where public transportation doesn't go) and that car is a mess, always dirty and full of fishing gear so for me it is impossible to share a car with someone.

[@emmettpickerel]

One of the other things people don't talk about with regards to renting a car (or even a truck) at least in the US: they expect you to already own a car and thus your own car insurance in order to rent at all. It's not like the UK or other places where you can just effortlessly buy car insurance for yourself for a day online.