Living without a car / using "Go-Get" hire car or similar https://www.pomsinoz.com/topic/194327-living-without-a-car-using-go-get-hire-car-or-similar-any-experiences/- any experiences?

[MARYROSE02]

My old Corolla failed its rego last month and so far I've not bothered to buy a new one. Since i started work last year I hardly drove it anyway. I commute to work by train and I walk almost everywhere. I'm going to dentist this arvo and it's 5 minutes on the bus which stops outside my door.

I've never used Go-Get cars but they are parked everywhere in Surry Hills, including very near to my unit, as close as my garage. I've saved $1,200 straight off on rego and insurance but it is nice to have a car. I wondered if Go Get or similar might be a viable alternative to having my own car?

I got the train to MacArthur on Sunday arvo which was good, although a little intimidating walking down to an empty platform even at 9pm. Using the same service to get to my brother's place near Camden was more of a hassle, meaning an Uber from Campbelltown station, (or a bus). 

I've really become just an occasional weekend driver.

 

[Toots]

6 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

My old Corolla failed its rego last month and so far I've not bothered to buy a new one. Since i started work last year I hardly drove it anyway. I commute to work by train and I walk almost everywhere. I'm going to dentist this arvo and it's 5 minutes on the bus which stops outside my door.

I've never used Go-Get cars but they are parked everywhere in Surry Hills, including very near to my unit, as close as my garage. I've saved $1,200 straight off on rego and insurance but it is nice to have a car. I wondered if Go Get or similar might be a viable alternative to having my own car?

I got the train to MacArthur on Sunday arvo which was good, although a little intimidating walking down to an empty platform even at 9pm. Using the same service to get to my brother's place near Camden was more of a hassle, meaning an Uber from Campbelltown station, (or a bus). 

I've really become just an occasional weekend driver.

 

I didn't drive much in Sydney at all as public transport to and from the city (when I was working) was very good and I used public transport at the weekends as well.  We lived in North Ryde then Dulwich Hill.  My younger son who lives in Annandale uses public transport to and from work and uses Go-Get at the weekends as does my godson who lives in Newtown.  I suppose if you lived in the outer Sydney suburbs or the northern beaches you would really need a car.  Public transport is not good here in Devonport so everybody drives.

[Guest263228]

Don't have a car at the moment and get along fine for the most part. But am in the market for a new one, but taking time and interesting the calculations arrived at. In Sydney twice over the past five months and easily managed without a car. (walked around Surry Hills as well)

I can see living out in ;burb land' though doing without would not be easy. Possible but not easy. Nothing comparable to overseas anyway. I'm afraid Australian cities sold their souls to the car. The auto industry is huge here as well.

[MARYROSE02]

2 hours ago, Toots said:

I didn't drive much in Sydney at all as public transport to and from the city (when I was working) was very good and I used public transport at the weekends as well.  We lived in North Ryde then Dulwich Hill.  My younger son who lives in Annandale uses public transport to and from work and uses Go-Get at the weekends as does my godson who lives in Newtown.  I suppose if you lived in the outer Sydney suburbs or the northern beaches you would really need a car.  Public transport is not good here in Devonport so everybody drives.

Can you ask your son/god son how much they spend on those Go-Get cars? Before I started working again I was driving to the beach almost every day but then using my car dropped off to once a month or so.

When I had my car I would probably have driven to Annandale if I'd needed to go there. Come to think of it, I used to drive to Leichhardt along Parramatta Road for an appt but on the way back I always came via Annandale. It's a bit of a hassle to walk down through the tunnel at Central to get a bus at Broadway.

My brother gets an Uber to work every day in the city though he gets the bus home.

[MARYROSE02]

2 hours ago, Pura Vida said:

Don't have a car at the moment and get along fine for the most part. But am in the market for a new one, but taking time and interesting the calculations arrived at. In Sydney twice over the past five months and easily managed without a car. (walked around Surry Hills as well)

I can see living out in ;burb land' though doing without would not be easy. Possible but not easy. Nothing comparable to overseas anyway. I'm afraid Australian cities sold their souls to the car. The auto industry is huge here as well.

It may be harsh to say the cities sold their souls to the car although the various governments could have planned public transport better. Everybody wanted a home on a quarter acre plot and the cities expanded without public transport.

 

[Toots]

2 hours ago, Pura Vida said:

Don't have a car at the moment and get along fine for the most part. But am in the market for a new one, but taking time and interesting the calculations arrived at. In Sydney twice over the past five months and easily managed without a car. (walked around Surry Hills as well)

I can see living out in ;burb land' though doing without would not be easy. Possible but not easy. Nothing comparable to overseas anyway. I'm afraid Australian cities sold their souls to the car. The auto industry is huge here as well.

My sister used to live in London.  She gave up having a car there as it was a waste of time and money having  one.  She lived in Putney and EVERYONE there seemed to own a car with the result it was just about impossible to find a space to park your car anywhere near your own house.  Many of the older houses don't have garages so the cars are parked on the street.  That was one of the reasons she gave up having a car.  Both sides of the street - cars parked bumper to bumper.

[Toots]

17 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Can you ask your son/god son how much they spend on those Go-Get cars? Before I started working again I was driving to the beach almost every day but then using my car dropped off to once a month or so.

When I had my car I would probably have driven to Annandale if I'd needed to go there. Come to think of it, I used to drive to Leichhardt along Parramatta Road for an appt but on the way back I always came via Annandale. It's a bit of a hassle to walk down through the tunnel at Central to get a bus at Broadway.

My brother gets an Uber to work every day in the city though he gets the bus home.

Have a look at this https://www.goget.com.au/rates/ and https://www.goget.com.au/faq/how-much-does-it-cost/

[Collie]

Hi MaryRose,

If you live in inner Sydney and don't do a lot of long trips away, a car is a waste of money.  I lived in Balmain and was a very satisfied customer of Go-Get for nearly 4 years.  I only bought a car when my daughter was on the way.

My experience was as follows:

Lots of Go get cars available within a min walk of home

Easy to use app for booking

Very affordable (think my plan was $6 ph), My bill all in averaged about $80 pm and I sublet my LUG for $210pm

Always found customer service pretty good

Variety of vehicles available for different uses (eg a van or ute if moving stuff)

Petrol, maintainance, insurance all included.

It does require a bit of planning though but you get used to that.

If I was back living in Sydney (& no kids) - I wouldn't buy a car again, I would get a scooter again though.  Between Scooter, Public transport, uber and Go gets, all your transport needs are covered.  If you need a car everyday, Go get is not for you but if you only need one a few times per month, go for it, you won't look back

 

No affliation to Go get - just a very satisfied customer of theirs over the years.  Unfortunately they are not in Perth where I now live and where you definitely need a car.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Collie

[Guest263228]

4 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

It may be harsh to say the cities sold their souls to the car although the various governments could have planned public transport better. Everybody wanted a home on a quarter acre plot and the cities expanded without public transport.

 

Well the choice was hardly available. The automobile became king as developers colonised ever further out.(land was cheap) Public transport declined. (tram lines for example done away with)

[Guest263228]

4 hours ago, Toots said:

My sister used to live in London.  She gave up having a car there as it was a waste of time and money having  one.  She lived in Putney and EVERYONE there seemed to own a car with the result it was just about impossible to find a space to park your car anywhere near your own house.  Many of the older houses don't have garages so the cars are parked on the street.  That was one of the reasons she gave up having a car.  Both sides of the street - cars parked bumper to bumper.

I lived in Putney but only for a short time. Parking can indeed be a problem in London, even with a residence permit. Not that I ever owned a car there, just know it from contacts at the time. Few I knew had cars at the time, but I can well believe this may have changed in 21st century with the rise of a certain very wealthy segment of the population for one thing. Fares on London Transport are hardly cheap either, or comfortable, during hours on public transport.

 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Hi Dave, they are a great idea. We signed up to one in Sydney a few years ago now when I was down there for 6 months. It was great because a car wasn't needed all the time. 

[starlight7]

I didn't bother to drive until I lived in Australia.  I really didn't need to drive when I lived in London and even when we lived in Kenilworth the bus service wasn't too bad.  Coming to Australia was a big reality check though- buses were awful and unreliable, trains crowded and only went into the city anyway. With young kids to tote around living without a car was impossible and quite dangerous if they got sick. Parking here is becoming increasingly difficult and if you need to visit anyone in hospital be prepared for a walk up to a kilometre because there are NO carparking spots anywhere after about 7 am. Same applies to the railway stations.

[Cerberus1]

As The Pom Queen said it was a while ago, but we used www.greensharecar.com.au

 

[MARYROSE02]

I enrolled with Go Get Cars on Saturday and went down to World Square to pick up my card. I initially enrolled as a student, which I can do as I am studying for a degree with the Open University, but then I found out it's slightly cheaper to enroll as a Senior. I'm in the slightly odd and perhaps contradictory position of being both student and senior! There was no joining fee and the hourly rate is less than $6.50 per hour.  As someone mentioned above  I could rent my garage out to cover some of the cost although I would need ot clear some of the cr*p I've stored there.

I went to Redfern today on a 310 bus which picked me up at 1151 and i walked into the podiatrist at 1159 and there would be no point in booking a Go Get car for that kind of trip as the bus stop is outside my unit. I walked home and noticed at least three Go Get cars parked on Redfern Street and Chalmers Street.

I'll see how I go with it when I actually get around to hiring a car from them. Again, going to the city on Sat arvo, my extravagant brother payed for an Uber when would have got the train one stop from Central to Town Hall, although we both walked home.

It's over a month now since I scrapped my car and there's still been only one time I could have done with a car, when I went to my niece's house at Spring Farm near Camden.amd even then it wasn't that onerous to get an Uber from Campbelltown station. The two other occasions I went out there - to Macarthur - the shopping centre is a few steps from the station so, again, what would the point be of driving there?

[OZnewbie]

Weve lived jn Bondi Junction for a few months now and cant seem to justify buying a car. We have done our apartment move using go get and used it every now and then for an hour here and there when we have a big shop and its been fab... trying to come up with reasons to buy a car but so far havent come up with any good ones. I definetly do not miss having to pay insurance, breakdown cover, rego etc...just not worth it. The only thing is I do miss the act of driving but happy to forgo the dy to day traffic.

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