Life After Driving

"It is cheaper to have taxis everywhere than it is to run a car."

I'm a bit out of touch with prices these days, but I reckon you'd have to do well under 1000 miles a year to make a taxi cheaper, wouldn't you?

We did it on my mother's journeys where it certainly would be cheaper. We were not pricing her to get a taxi further than 10 miles!

We are lucky enough to live close to excellent transport links. We gave up our car after being the victim of a road rage scam.

We are financially much better off and go to more places than when we had the car.

I have recently had an accident which has required me to use a taxi more frequently, but have found them reasonable and realiable.

DH has never driven, so I am the driver. I don't like driving, never have. Although he doesn't drive, he is a 'back seat driver' and makes me nervous. I used to drive us on our holidays but will no longer do so, and we have many 'coach tour' holidays now which we both love. I never drive in the dark because I really can't judge distances and I'm dangerous. I am 63 ( almost 64) and expect that by the time I am 70 I will no longer drive. I'm not really bothered about it. When I am without a car, which happens if I lend the car to my daughter if hers is off the road, I walk and use my bus pass. I get far more exercise..... But everything takes much longer. You just have to adapt to whatever life throws at you.

Love driving, always have- and I would miss it. When we made the move here- we chose a rural area, but one with great public transport. The bus is 2 mins wak away, with very regular service both to our local Swiss town and our local French town. From there, we can pick up the TGV fast train to Paris- although sine we moved, there is a quick change on the same platform. From our local Swiss town, we can get onto the great Swiss rail network. For the price of running a car for 1 year, we can get a general pass for all Swiss transport- with integrated timetables for trains and buses- it also includes most of the boats and some cable-cars up to mountains. So it would really help- if ever, or when, DH or I have to stop driving.