General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Maybe this is the way it's going to be. [View all]progree
(11,449 posts)One doesn't dare take public transit (I'm in the Twin Cities). As for Uber and Lyft, that too is risky -- each trip being with a new driver in a small enclosed space.
And I think even 3 years from now, public transit is going to be even weaker than it was pre-Covid. Which was pretty weak for me to begin with living just 6 miles from the core of downtown Minneapolis, I felt like I was living in the sticks as far as bus service. Plenty good during M-F commute hours, but mid-day, evenings, and weekends very spotty.
Now they've reduced their trips by 40%, eliminating some routes, and reducing the frequency on what's left.
Even pre-Covid, a shopping trip difficult to do, even if M-F commute hours are OK, stores aren't open in the morning that early, so have to restrict it to the afternoon / early evening. Now with the new bus schedules, the early evening is out, so one has only a small window to get there, shop, and get back, and not a lot of choices, meaning wait wait wait.
I had a car until about a year ago, but held off buying another one for a number of reasons, but at least for the time-being to be greener was a motivation. It would be possible pre-Covid to do a mix of public transit and Uber to do everything I want and still save money compared to car ownership and be greener. But now, using public transit and Uber and all that is well, risky to me.
I worry a lot about the collapse of public transit and more and more people having to get cars that formerly managed to do without or at least get to work and back without, and what that's going to do to greenhouse gas emissions.