this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2025
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Fuck Cars

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I let my folks know that I'm getting rid of my drivers licence, because I don't plan on driving for at least the next 5 years.

My parents then said things like, "you're moving backwards in life", or "what will you do if you need to transport someone in an emergency?", to which I responded, "Taxi, or ambulance".

Am I a fool? Should I retain my licence for emergencies? I'm broke ATM, but should start working again soon, and my licence is expiring in a few weeks (and my wallet fell in a river a week ago, so I don't have the card anyways, not even kidding), so I'd rather not pay the $90 to keep it, if I don't have to.

What about you? Do you still keep a license handy for situations, or no? Is living car and license free possible in Canada?

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[–] Drusas@fedia.io 45 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I think it is wiser to keep the legal right to drive even if you do not end up using it.

In an emergency, a taxi or car share ride could take a while to get to you and also might refuse your ride (if going to the hospital for an emergency, for example). Or you might find yourself in a position where someone who drove becomes unable to do so to get you or themselves home (sick, drunk, whatever) and you could help out. You also might decide to rent a car for some specific purpose at some point, such as for traveling somewhere with poor public transit or if you need a truck for hauling stuff.

I like to err on the side of preparedness.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Being able to drive could also be a requirement of some future job. (Even if it's not a core duty)

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 1 points 10 hours ago

That's true and I should have thought of that. I've had two jobs which weren't driving-related but required me to drive to different locations.

[–] yardratianSoma@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

thanks for the perspective. I think I will keep it. I just hate all the costs associated with driving, and I don't even drive, and have to pay this and that.

And yeah, I have been in situations where I needed to drive, like helping a buddy drive a uhaul, or when another buddy passed out, I drove him to the hospital just in case he dropped behind the wheel.

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think aspiring to a car free lifestyle is great, but there's nothing wrong with renting every once in a while. For the few times in your life that you need to move, renting a Uhaul will save you a ton of money over using a moving company. And there's a few times where renting a truck when purchasing a large appliance will save you over having things delivered.

[–] dil@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

im curious do all of yall live in very urban environments and have good car free infrastructure? I could not imagine relying on trains, busses, etc. that would add hours of travel time to my day

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

I use my bike to get around and recently upgraded to an ebike to help with hills and so that I'm not sweating when I get to where I'm going. I find I can get most places about as fast as a car since I can avoid traffic. For longer trips, I'm thinking of getting an escooter to get me to the train station and then the rest of the way.