18 June 2017: Life in the Detroit Suburbs Without a Car

18 June 2017

It’s been 2 months since I gave my car to my daughter to drive to Alaska for a summer job.  The initial reason was guilt - I feared her 1999 Civic with 170K miles wouldn’t make the 4,200 mile trip.  But part of me also wanted to relive my experience as a medical student in Ann Arbor in the early 1980’s, when I also gave up my car.  I also consider it my contribution to fighting climate change.

I live near 10 Mile and Coolidge, by myself.  Here is how I get around.

SMART bus: I ride the bus to work.  I took a picture of the schedule and put it on my phone.  I walk 15-20 minutes to 11 Mile and Coolidge to take the 740 bus.  It takes me to 12 Mile and Telegraph (15 minutes), and I walk 0.5 miles to my office.  I use a $22 bus pass (costs $20 + $2 handling, ordered online, takes about 4 business days to receive), for 11 fares @ $2.  The bus is usually within 5 minutes of the schedule.  SMART has a free app, whose tracker gives a map of where the bus actually is on the route, but ~5% of the time, the tracking function does not work.  Lyft (similar to Uber) is my backup, but I only used it once when the bus was 20 minutes late, and the tracking did not work, so I did not know if the bus was broken down or not (next time I will call SMART to ask before using Lyft).  The bus drivers are nice, and the ride is air conditioned and mostly comfortable, but I do feel all the bumps in our sorry roads.

Bicycle: For me, there actually is a “high” from bicycling.  I bike 8-10 miles to and from work if the weather does not call for rain, and if my schedule permits.  I bike on subdivision streets and the 12 Mile bike path, not major streets.  I wear a helmet, gloves and a yellow jacket to ensure that drivers, who appear to be focused on their cell phones and not the road, will see me.  I have been doing this for years, so the distance is not a problem.  I can shop in Royal Oak while bicycling, but only can buy what fits in two carrier bags.  I do not bike at night, and prefer to not leave the bike somewhere I cannot see it, even though I lock it up and it is not valuable.  I carry extra tubes and a pump to fix a flat, but if that doesn’t work, or I find myself biking in the pouring rain, I call Lyft to pick me up, but first call the driver to make sure the car has a back seat that folds down to fit my bike (my front tire has a “quick release”).

Walk: It is very pleasant to walk to the bus stop first thing in the morning, listing to the birds and watching the joggers, walkers and cyclists.  If, using the tracker, I see that I am very early for the bus, I walk to the next stop(s), to get more exercise.  I carry a backpack with an umbrella, poncho, cell phone backup battery and reading material for the bus.

Lyft: I use this smart phone app several times a week, and typically spend $200 to $300 per month (the app keeps track of ride histories).  I usually give a $2 tip.  Most rides are $10 to $20, whether to work or downtown.  The drivers are polite (because we rate them at the end of the ride), and the cars are in very good shape.  This was not my experience much of the time when I took taxis.  Last weekend, I took Lyft to Midtown and walked around.  Compared to a car, it was a much better experience.  As a passenger, I don’t care about construction or traffic slowdowns.  I like talking to the drivers about their lives.  I don’t have to spend 15 minutes looking for a parking spot.  When leaving a big event, such as a concert, I typically walk away from the crowd, to make it easier to spot the driver, and for the driver to find me.

I try to be strategic about using Lyft.  If I plan to use it to go home, I think about shopping at the same time, particularly for heavy items that I could not carry or put on the bike.  You can have multiple destinations with Lyft, so I use it to pick up people and go to lunch.  Leaving the restaurant, I use Lyft to drop us off.

At first, I worried about short rides being bad for the drivers since their cost is minimal, but the drivers don’t mind.  Lyft pays bonuses based on the number of rides they provide, and the drivers can do more rides if they are short.

No money changes hands using Lyft.  It is charged to my credit card, and I can see the cost of rides at any time.

I try to pay attention to where we are going - if I put the wrong address in Lyft, the driver will take me to the wrong place.  Sometimes drivers don’t know the area well, so I guide them.  Some drivers don’t speak much English - this was mainly a problem when in Miami, not Detroit.  I have not had any problems with rude, threatening or inappropriate drivers, or vehicles that seemed deficient.

Initially I used Uber, but I could not get reception several times.  Perhaps it is just me.  I have not had problems using Lyft.

Friends / family: I am happy to use Lyft or walk, but friends / family may offer to take me home or closer to home if they are in the car anyway.  I do not rely on this, and am always grateful if they offer.

The advantages of not having a car are: (a) financial - no car payment, no car insurance, no maintenance, no gas, no worrying about tickets, accidents, parking or tolls; (b) physical - more exercise; (c) a better quality of life, at least for me.  When I get to work, I am not anxious because I have fought traffic on I-696 for 20 minutes.  I don’t worry about crazy drivers (well, perhaps a little when bicycling).  My life is not centered on my car, which makes me feel better. It is easier for me to avoid doing things I really didn’t want to do anyway.  I also try to avoid errands by doing them online, or bunching them together; (d) safety - the drivers are typically better than me.  As a driver, I would get tired, or think about the events of the day, and not be as alert as I should have been.

The disadvantages are: (a) financial - at times, I would prefer not to spend the $10 to $20 for Lyft; (b) picking up people and going somewhere with Lyft takes a little getting used to; (c) my mother and some friends say I will never get a girlfriend without a car, but this is me now, and I view it as a screening test; (d) long trips will require me to rent a car, but that doesn’t happen too often, and there are several Enterprise and other car rentals nearby, which will pick me up at my door (or I could use Lyft).; (e) other people may not consider me as reliable since I don’t have a car, but I think using Lyft actually makes me more reliable, since I don’t have to worry about my car’s condition or my ability to drive.