I had a car. I had a lovely, Suzuki Swift. But life changed. My school brought in a mobility plan that said I lived too close to school and had other options for commuting, so my car was not eligible for a parking permit. I was renovating my house and the last payment was due for the kitchen. SO, I sold my car.
Was it the right choice? Mostly. Do I miss having a car? Not really. I miss the flexibility of a car. Getting the cats to and from the vet is an ordeal. I know I couldn’t bring my car to school, and that grates because the Canton built a tunnel that dropped my commute from just over 15 minutes to under ten for the one site. I didn’t drive much beyond commuting. I excelled at stacking my errands and appointments. If I couldn’t use my car for commuting to school, it really was just going to sit there for days on end.
I totalled it up; the car cost around chf2000 a year to run. Insurance, two tire changes, gas, car tax, and one maintenance check per year which was never ever less than chf400 and often more. My bus pass and demi-tariff card are chf660 together before subsidies (my commune offers small subsidies on both these which help). And I had them in addition to the car because I like to take mass transit when I can. Do I feel like I’m saving chf2000 a year? No. It’s annoying. I don’t have that money back in my pocket. But I’d be spending that if I still had the car.
My village doesn’t have a grocery store. Or even a bakery. I told myself if I sold the car that I could take a taxi whenever I wanted and get all my groceries delivered. Which was fine in theory. And then one day, I did take a taxi. It was raining. I was at Hopital de la Tour and I just couldn’t face three buses and over an hour to get home. Except the taxi, while comfortable and far more efficient than the bus(es), cost chf50. My bus pass is chf450 with the subsidy from the commune. I had just spent over 10% of the cost of my annual bus pass on one taxi ride.
And I do get my groceries delivered occasionally. Like if I need heavy stuff, or bulky stuff. But mostly, I go to Coop on the way home from school (it’s not actually on the way, it’s really way out of the way sort of) and schlep the fresh produce and dairy on the bus with me. Or I go on Saturdays with my pink rolly cart and freezer packs. But having the groceries delivered doesn’t make too much sense for the weekly shop. It’s me and the cats; and I just don’t eat enough to hit the minimum threshold of chf100 (and that usually comes with a delivery fee). This year I’m working hard on reducing my food waste. Part of that is really only buying what I need and can use in a reasonable amount of time.
So taking taxis and having groceries delivered were nice incentives to tell myself when I was deciding to sell the car, but haven’t really become a part of my life the way I anticipated. The TPG (public transport organization for Geneva) has also increased their service to my village. So life without a car, especially in terms of getting to school, is getting easier.
I also joined Mobility, the car sharing cooperative. When I do need to take the cats to the vet, or take stuff to the dump, I use one of their cars. But it can run between chf20-50 a pop depending on how long I keep the car and how far I drive. And even though my commune has been asking, we still don’t have a car here. So it’s a bus ride to the next commune, get the car, drive home, pick up the cats, drive to the vet, drive home, drop off the cat, drop off the car, take the bus back. I might run other errands in there, too, but even just the vet visit is enough.
I can’t imagine myself owning a car again in Switzerland. I won’t say it will never happen, but car ownership brings its own complications and it’s one more thing to manage. As I try to simplify my life, adding a car just isn’t in the cards for the forseeable future.
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