🌿carfree.club

Your step-by-step guide to driving less

You don't need to sell your car tomorrow. Start with one trip, then another. Here's how.

1

Audit your trips

Spend one week writing down every car trip you make. Note the distance, the purpose, and whether an alternative might have worked. Most people are surprised by how many trips are under 5km — and how many are genuinely hard to replace.

  • ›A notes app or a simple notepad works fine for this.
  • ›Don't try to change anything yet — just observe.
  • ›Pay attention to the trips that feel most automatic.
2

Map your alternatives

For each trip type you identified, open Google Maps and switch to cycling or transit mode. Time the alternatives. Many people discover that their commute by train is actually faster than driving once parking is included — they just never checked.

  • ›Try the Rome2Rio app for longer or multi-mode trips.
  • ›Check if there's a separated bike path on your route — it changes the experience significantly.
  • ›Don't dismiss public transport until you've actually timed it.
3

Make one swap

Pick the easiest trip to replace and do it differently this week. Just once. The goal isn't to transform your life overnight — it's to discover that the alternative is more manageable than you imagined. Aim for two fewer car trips per week by the end of month one.

  • ›The easiest first swap is usually a short errand, not your commute.
  • ›Two fewer trips per week is 100 fewer trips per year.
  • ›This might look different if you have school pickups or shift work — start with what fits.
4

Get the right gear

You don't need expensive equipment, but the right basics make a big difference. For cycling: a reliable bike (secondhand is fine), a good lock, a helmet, and front and rear lights. For public transport: load up your Opal, Myki, GoCard, or MetroCard and keep it topped up.

  • ›A secondhand bike from Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace for $300–$600 is a perfectly solid starting point.
  • ›A quality lock matters more than most people think — get a D-lock.
  • ›E-bikes are genuinely worth considering for hillier suburbs or longer distances.
5

Solve the grocery run

For many people, the weekly shop feels like the hardest thing to do without a car. But the solutions are more practical than they expect: a good backpack and a bike basket handle most weekly shops. For larger loads, a weekly delivery from a supermarket covers what you can't carry.

  • ›A 20–25L backpack plus a front basket or rear rack handles a typical shop for 1–2 people.
  • ›Cargo bikes and bike trailers exist for families or larger loads.
  • ›One supermarket delivery per week + bike for top-ups is a common and very workable pattern.
6

Plan for weather

Weather is the most common reason people give up on cycling. The solution isn't to cycle in a downpour — it's to have a decent rain jacket and check the forecast the night before. Most Australian cities average fewer than 10 rainy days per month. On dry days, there's no excuse.

  • ›A waterproof jacket and a spare change of clothes at work covers most situations.
  • ›Check the Bureau of Meteorology app the evening before — you can often plan around rain.
  • ›On bad-weather days, taking the train is perfectly fine. Flexibility beats rigidity.
7

Handle the edge cases

Medical appointments, furniture, late nights, interstate visitors — these are the scenarios that feel like they require a car. In most cases, they require a car occasionally. Car-share services like Car Next Door and GoGet let you book a car by the hour when you genuinely need one, for far less than owning one.

  • ›Car Next Door and GoGet have cars parked across most Australian cities — check if there's one near you.
  • ›Taxis and rideshare (Uber, Ola) cover late nights, airports, and last-minute needs.
  • ›Once you're not paying for ownership, occasional hire feels like a reasonable cost.
8

Set a new normal

After a month or two of driving less, most people find that the car gets used less by default — not by effort, but because the alternatives have become familiar. Start tracking trips replaced. Consider whether you actually need the car you have, or whether you could share, downsize, or eventually let it go entirely.

  • ›Some households find they can get by with one fewer car — a significant financial saving.
  • ›There's no requirement to go fully car-free. Driving less is the goal.
  • ›Every trip you don't drive is a genuine win, regardless of what comes next.

Useful resources

Getting around

  • Google Maps — switch to cycling or transit mode to time your alternatives
  • Rome2Rio — multi-mode trip planning across Australia
  • Search "[your state] public transport app" — Opal (NSW), Myki (VIC), TransLink (QLD), MetroCard (SA), SmartRider (WA)

E-scooters & bikes

  • Lime and Neuron — shared e-scooters in most Australian cities

Car-share (for when you genuinely need a car)

  • Car Next Door — peer-to-peer car hire, available in most suburbs
  • GoGet — round-trip car share in major cities

Got questions?

We've answered the most common ones — from cycling safety to what to do when it rains.

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