Why transit matters — and why a Week Without Driving is the perfect time to try it

Traffic is tough, gas is expensive and parking is difficult. And for many living with disabilities or reduced incomes, owning a car is simply off the table.

Week Without Driving has begun, and it’s a great way to sample how transit can simplify your life and learn more about how essential it is to our community. Whether you’re heading home from work, returning from a concert, or connecting to another type of travel, transit is a great way to get around.

At Metro, we’re here for you around the clock, making this week the perfect moment to give transit a try, says Metro General Manager Michelle Allison. Metro’s latest service change in August increased evening and overnight bus service to keep our riders moving.

“You need service that connects you to where you want to go, and that is not always 9-to-5,” Allison said. “If you’re a shift worker, if you’re someone who’s working at the airport or the hotel industry or the hospitals, or simply has that third shift, you want to have available transit.”

Allison urged local residents to consider participating in Week Without Driving from Oct.1-8. Metro is a co-sponsor, joining more than 800 community organizations, public officials and transit agencies across the U.S., Canada and Australia. Events include walking and biking meetups, scooting fun, transportation bingo and bus ride‑alongs — all designed to help people experience what life is like for nondrivers.

Why support Week Without Driving?

A third of people in the U.S. are nondrivers, due to age, disability or the high cost of keeping a car on the road. Yet many communities operate under the assumption that everyone drives. Week Without Driving challenges that view by lifting up real stories from people who rely on walking, biking, rolling and transit to get where they need to go.

Launched in 2021 by local author and disability advocate Anna Zivarts, Week Without Driving has grown into a global movement co‑hosted by the Nondrivers Alliance and America Walks.

Nondrivers are everywhere — but are too often invisible. They’re the patients who need to see their doctor. They’re the parents trying to get to a school play, and they’re the kids who need a way home from soccer practice.

Week Without Driving helps reveal these gaps — and inspires everyone to give transit a try. By experiencing life without a car, even for a day or a few trips, participants learn more why accessible, reliable transportation matters for everyone. We look forward to seeing you aboard!