The City Mouse

I live in a city environment. I don't own a car (though I used to). When I do drive, it's long distances, and with the advent of Zipcar, Hertz Connect and MintCar, cars by the hour have gas and insurance figured in. (I can reserve these cars, by the way, by using my phone and it saved my sanity visiting California in the winter, by not needing to rent a car on a daily rate but an hourly rate).

It's hard for me to understand the plight of my friends and family, the "country mice," who depend on their cars for their livelihoods. Robert Moses was really heralded for making the motor vehicle the "future," especially by building the freeways and infrastructure in the Greater New York area.

Now it seems like our reliance on our cars (because, you know, try to tell an American (s)he can't have their car!) has caused a double-edged sword. Cars can't operate without gas, and we are reliant on gas from foreign sources. As long as we are a car-dependent culture, this vicious cycle isn't going to change.

So perhaps we need to change our way of traveling in order to maximize not only fuel-efficiency, but cost-effectiveness as well. For me, traffic and especially parking in cities, really annoyed me. They still do. I like trains, but the local systems (NJ Transit especially) just likes to raise prices and not improve service. They are also pricey.

Enter the Megabus! Megabus, or Boltbus, to be more precise.

These are more niche area buses, that go to major cities in a megalopolis area, such as travel within the Boston - Washington, D.C. corridor.

When I was a country mouse, I'd do these drives by myself. The drawbacks of course are that I would need to schedule my time around the departures...but it's almost like flying, but on the ground.

I was always a little wary about these "curbside" buses, but they have been proven to be a safe and reliable manner of travel. There have been several high profile accidents with what they call the "Chinatown buses" which also do curbside departures but are less regulated and aren't majority owned by larger transportation companies.

The bonus part? I can text, tweet and email while on the road. Score! These buses have been fitted with WiFi and power outlets, so when I arrive, my phone won't be dead...and I'll have caught up on my emails.

Then when we arrive, I can Yelp a lunch place and start in on the FUN!

I feel for my friends who have no choice but to drive. For me, the answer is simple because I have options to get around but who wants to drive to Washington from New York City? Seriously, I've done it, and it's overrated. Let someone else do it!

But I realize that it's changed my views on owning a car and how much I really need to drive. It would be totally different if I lived by, say, where my mom lives. While there is a new mini mall opening up that's within walking distance (though I guarantee most people in her housing development will choose to drive there), I can see a McDonald's, a Walgreen's and Shop Rite in the distance...yet there's no easy way to walk there.

Here, I can see McDonald's, Duane Reade, several restaurants, and Trader Joe's, and can walk easily within a five-minute radius. For me, it's worth not having a vehicle and being reliant on one either. I know some people can't live like that but I have the luxury of doing so.

And I totally don't get pump stress. That's just lovely.

Perhaps car sharing and no-frills bus travel might sound like it's a combination of futuristic but taking a step back in independent ownership. With the advent of higher gas prices, perhaps it's not a bad idea to change our overall habits for medium-distance travel in this country.