Y’know…having lived in sprawling Southwestern cities all of my adult life, this factoid never occurred to me. But…y’know what? YOU DON’T NEED A CAR TO LIVE IN A CITY LIKE PHOENIX.
Early adolescence in San Francisco, taught me that…well…yeah. You don’t need a car to live conveniently in the City, as my mother and I used to call SF. San Francisco has (or had, at the time) premier public transit. You’d never wait more than ten or fifteen minutes for a bus or train to come by.
But Phoenix, a hub of blue-collar dorkishness, is NOT like San Francisco. Not even close. Phoenix is more like Los Angeles. Or Long Beach, where I had the un-privilege of spending my high-school years. Wherever you’re goin’ in Southern California, you can’t get there from here…not without a car.
To the extent that Phoenix and L.A. have trains, you don’t wanna ride on them…not unless you enjoy being pestered by panhandlers and oversexed bums. Yeah, there are busses, but by and large they don’t run on time, they’re filthy, and they also tend to harbor folks that you prefer not get too close to you. (“Too close” being “in the same county….”)
But…
Over the past week or ten days, I’ve made two disoveries that change ALL of that:
a) You don’t need a car; AND
b) You don’t have to ride on the off-putting public transit, either.
Why?
BECAUSE OF UBER.
Turns out that during the past few months and years, Uber has become an enormous success here.
Yeah. You can get from Point A to Point B in a private car, hired out by its owner to Uber, for less than a taxicab costs. The cars are clean, you feel reasonably safe in them, they show up in a timely way, and the cost is within reason.
Not only that, but a guy who drives for Uber lives three houses down the street from me! And he’s not the only Uber driver in the general vicinity.
Dayum!
This changes everything.
****
My son got mad at me and, in consequence, he stole my car. It’s parked at his house — presumably locked inside his garage.
I do not feel like bickering with him, so I decided, in a phrase, ohhh fu*k it! Let him have the damn thing.
And that’s when I discovered that Uber is everywhere. Even three houses down the road. No kidding. One of the neighbors is driving for Uber!
I can easily get from just about any Point A to just about any Point B (or C, or D, or whatEVER), and with a cell phone, I can call Uber from anywhere.
And y’know what? Just now the only reason I want that car back is so I can sell it to some other sucker!
Well, if your son has taken your car, I hope he has also taken away your insurance premiums, registration renewal, and any maintenance costs, since you shouldn’t have to pay any of that for a car you’re not driving.
Beyond that, I think Uber (or Lyft) would be a great way to get around, especially if you’re not making a lot of trips each week. Let someone else deal with the homicidal traffic.
I live in a rural area in another state, so it may not apply in Phoenix, but here we have a county paratransit servicethat will pick you up and drop you off for medical appointments or errands for a fairly low fee. There are disadvantages – you have to arrange your ride a day or two in advance, and the vans pick up and drop off multiple passengers, so they sometimes pick you up earlier or later than expected and you may be riding around for a while. But it’s potentially another tool to add to your transportation options.
Hmmmm… Good thoughts, all the way around. I’ll discuss these points with him.
Seriously: I do think Uber and Lyft are just HUGE. Truly, it does look like I can get one or the other of these chariots to drive me just about anywhere in the Valley, anytime I want to go. And….y’know…if that’s the case, WHY ON EARTH would you want to own a damn car???
What a nuisance a car is, and what a brain-banging expense. Let some other sucker own the car, and schlep you where you want to go, when you want to go! For just a few bucks.
Between you’n’me’n’the lamp-post, I’m beginning to think I may sell the car. Or give it to my son, gratis — yes, along with the insurance premiums & the repair bills. If he wants it: maybe he doesn’t, he being no fool.
Also – if you have a Medicare advantage plan, some include coverage for a certain number of trips to medical appointments.