Car... Lite Family?

Welcome to January 2025... time to assess how much our family of four spent on getting around last year. I had been titling this series #CarFreeFamily... but having had this car for most of two years now, I can't really call us car-free at this point. I guess we'll go with Car-Lite until we get rid of it... We did spend less time in the car than the previous year, but definitely used it often compared to the years we haven't owned a car.

A quick note on what I count or don't count towards our total costs for the year: I don't include bike purchases or new helmets because we would likely own them anyway, whether we were using them for transportation or not. I'm not including things like umbrellas, rain coats, or shoes, because though they are definitely part of what makes walking & biking doable for transportation, we would need to own those even if we drove everywhere. Things like extra food to fuel all the active travel is also not included, since I doubt we'd eat any less if we were exercising less. I also don't include things that my employer pays for, like my Mobi membership, or use of Modo vans to transport gear for work.

Traffic at a standstill on Highway 5 due to a minor car crash

Driving

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, we did drive quite a bit this past year. having a vehicle sitting there outside the house, just waiting for us, really encourages driving instead of biking on those wet or cold or dark or wet & cold & dark days. We needed to renew the insurance in September, & of course there was gas, & parking (no free meter parking or permit for any street parking like with Modo!). We drove up to Kelowna multiple times, & Oliver took a trip with a friend to Seattle, but the vast majority of our trips were just in the city, totally bikeable distances. This year, the car cost us $2560.13.

We didn't use Modo at all this year, but we did pay a fee to stay in the damage pool. Total cost: $50.00.

By the way, this Modo cost includes gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, membership fees, usage costs--everything. It's really so much cheaper than owning a car if you don't need to drive it daily. It's also much nicer to know how much access to a vehicle will cost you: since maintenance, gas, insurance, & most of the time even parking are included, there are no surprise bills for repairs or maintenance. If you're wondering what Modo costs, you can use their trip calculator here on their website to see what a trip would cost. Simply choose the type of vehicle, the time you want to use it, & how far you're planning to go.

Total cost to drive: $2610.13

Cycling

My Tern GSD cargobike parked outside VeloStar

This year we didn't buy much bike stuff, the bulk of the cost was just maintenance of our workhorse, the Tern GSD. It was the usual things: a few brake pads here & there, a bit of derailleur maintenance, paying the professionals to wrestle with swapping the studded tires for the regular ones. All that came to $716.18.

Electricity costs are a bit harder to calculate, because it's only a few cents each time we charge our bikes. I'd say we spent about $7 on electricity charging my Tern GSD & the Radrunner we are borrowing from a friend. I'm not sure how many times I charged the GSD, & I haven't noticed a significant drop in battery life, but I rode it only about 3000km this year--less than previous years. Oliver rides even less than me, as he mainly works from home, so I doubt he needed a full charge more than once a month.

Total cost to run our bikes: $723.18.

Ferries

Most of the HUB crew at Porpoise Bay

We didn't end up doing any family trips by ferry this year, sadly. I went on a bike camping trip to Porpoise Bay with coworkers in July, which included one ferry to & from Langdale. This fare is round trip--you don't pay on the way back. 

Total fares: $15.50.

Transit

This year Linny started taking the bus to get around at bit. He's not as keen on cycling as the rest of us, so I'm glad he's got this option. Oliver didn't take transit at all, Bronte did occasionally, but she's under 12 so her rides are still free. I took transit a handful of times. So, our transit costs were only $53.15.

And, that's it for all the categories of transportation we've used, so... 

*drum roll please*

The total transportation costs for our family of four in 2024 was $3,401.96. 

This is less than we spent last year, & it still comes in 20% of what the average Canadian spends for owning & operating a car because we don't have payments on it & we just don't use it that much. We mainly get around by bike & walking because 95% of our trips are within 8km & it's usually more of a hassle to get there by car since we'd have to find & maybe pay for parking, plus we'd be stuck in traffic (I know, we're not stuck in traffic, we ARE traffic) often, since the times we need to go places are often rush hour, when everyone else is on the road.  

So, how about you? What did you spend on transportation last year? Do you total it up annually? What are the upsides & downsides of how you get around? What do you do to save costs on transportation?

If you're curious about our past transportation costs, you can check out my posts on the breakdown for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022,& 2023 here.

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#CarFreeFamily2023: How Much Does It Cost?

Testing out my new waterproof shoes on a puddly walk

Here we are, it's January 2024... time to tally up how much our family of four spent on getting around last year. It was definitely a weird year, after a number of weird years... Sadly, Oliver's father died in the spring, which meant we were travelling to the Okanagan quite a bit... and... we inherited a car. So that changed our transportation landscape a bit. We did sooooo much driving.

A quick note on what I count or don't count towards our total costs for the year: I don't include bike purchases or new helmets because we would likely own them anyway, whether we were using them for transportation or not. I'm not including things like umbrellas, rain coats, or shoes, because though they are definitely part of what makes walking & biking doable for transportation, we would need to own those even if we drove everywhere. Things like extra food to fuel all the active travel is also not included, since I doubt we'd eat any less if we were exercising less. I also don't include things that my employer pays for, like my Mobi membership.

Driving

Oops, drained the car battery by leaving the hatch open too
much & needed a jump start to leave the campground. 

As I mentioned earlier, this year involved a lot more driving than the past... decade, probably? We used Modo 13 times, but mainly drove the car we inherited, from April onward. We needed to renew the insurance in September, & of course there was gas, parking (no free meter parking or permit for any street parking like with Modo!) & some maintenance costs. We did do quite a few more longer trips than we typically would, going up to Kelowna multiple times, we did a camping trip to Sasquatch, plus I drove to Ucluelet with a friend in November. All told, nine months of owning this car cost us $3085.20

We used Modo about three times a month in the winter & spring, before we got the car, & a couple times after that, when using a wheelchair accessible van to give a friend a ride to an event, & a cargo van to move some furniture. Total cost: $417.98

By the way, this Modo cost includes gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, membership fees, usage costs--everything. It's really so much cheaper than owning a car if you don't need to drive it daily. It's also much nicer to know how much access to a vehicle will cost you: since maintenance, gas, insurance, & most of the time even parking are included, there are no surprise bills for repairs or maintenance. If you're wondering what Modo costs, you can use their trip calculator here on their website to see what a trip would cost. Simply choose the type of vehicle, the time you want to use it, & how far you're planning to go.

Oliver & Linny used Poparide to go up to the Okanagan in the spring, just a one-way trip, which cost $132.64.  

Total cost to drive: $3635.82

Cycling

Riding the ʔapsčiik t̓ašii trail from
Ucluelet to Tofino with Donna

This year we spent more than usual on bike maintenance & accessories. Half of the year's cost was four really good lights that I bought, & for tuning up & replacing some parts on my late grandfather's little Raleigh 20. This isn't going to be a daily commuter, more of a fun little project bike--it has more sentimental value than anything else. In terms of our regular bikes--the Tern Vektron & the Tern GSD--it was the usual--a few brake pads here & there, a bit of maintenance. All that came to $938.50.

Electricity costs are a bit harder to calculate, because it's only a few cents each time we charge our bikes. I'd say we spent about $8 on electricity charging my Tern GSD & Oliver's Tern Vektron. I estimate about 50 full charges of the 900Wh of batteries in the roughly 4000km I rode. Oliver rides much less than me, as he's been working from home 99% of the time, so I doubt he needed a full charge more than once a month.

Total cost to run our bikes: $974.46.

Ferries

In November, I spent a weekend in Ucluelet, which cost a fair whack in ferry costs for reservations. If we'd walked or biked on, it would have been waaaaay less, but biking to Ucluelet from Nanaimo would have been a BIT more exercise than either of us wanted for this weekend getaway, ha! My friend Donna paid for half of the reservation, but my share still came out to $120.50. 

Transit

I took transit for three one-way trips & maybe one or two more that were paid by my employer (I have a Compass card that I can use to travel to & from work when I teach). The kids & Oliver didn't take transit at all. So, our transit costs were only $7.60.

And, that's it for all the categories of transportation, so... 

*drum roll please*

The total transportation costs for our family of four in 2023 was $4738.38. 

This is over four times more than we spent last year, although it still comes in at less than half of what the average person spends for owning & operating a car here because we mainly get around by bike & walking. Despite having the convenience of a car sitting there outside, waiting for us to drive it, I'm not that interested in keeping it. We don't really use it that much more than we used Modos, but it costs WAY more to just sit there, idle.  

For decades I've avoided rush hour vehicle congestion by cycling on the bike routes, & had rock star parking for free at the bike racks or with Modo's skookum parking permits. The convenience of owning a car just isn't worth the extra frustration & money for me, so we'll be selling it in the next year.

So, how about you? What did you spend on transportation last year? Do you total it up annually? What are the upsides & downsides of how you get around? What do you do to save costs on transportation?

If you're curious about our past transportation costs, you can check out my posts on the breakdown for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2022 here.

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#CarFreeFamily2022: How Much Does It Cost?

It's that time again: that time where I look back through my email receipts, Compass card records, & Modo account to see what the four of us spent on transportation for the year. 2022 wasn't all that different from 2020 & 2021, transportation-wise: we used no taxis, no ridesharing, no car rentals, & only a couple trips on the water. We got around by bike & on foot the vast majority of the time, which are practically free. I have started using Mobi again a bit to commute to work, but that's covered by my employer so I don't count it below. 

Before I get down to brass tacks, on the topic of what I count or don't count: I don't include bike purchases (we bought a used tandem this year!) or new helmets because we would likely own them anyway, whether we were using them for transportation or not. I'm not including things like umbrellas, rain coats, or shoes, because though they are definitely part of what makes walking & biking doable for transportation, we would need to own those even if we drove everywhere. Things like extra food to fuel all the active travel is also not included, since I doubt we'd eat any less if we were exercising less.

Modo home after my hip replacement surgery

Driving

On paper, 2022 wasn't all that different from the previous year, but personally it was another slightly unusual one. Partly because we're still not doing everything that we did before COVID (mainly travel & family visits, when we tended to use Modo), but also because I got myself a shiny new hip in April! 

We spent a little more on Modo in the spring to go on walks when I was still quite limited in my mobility, & bored with walking around the exact same few blocks near home. We also spent a little more on Modos to get to & from various kid appointments in the unusually cold & wet fall & winter months near the end of the year. Despite driving about 50% more often than is typical for us--17 trips in 2022--it only cost a total of $528.52.

By the way, this Modo cost includes gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, membership fees, usage costs--everything. It's really so much cheaper than owning a car if you don't need to drive it daily. It's also much nicer to know how much access to a vehicle will cost you: since maintenance, gas, insurance, & most of the time even parking are included, there are no surprise bills for repairs or maintenance. If you're wondering what Modo costs, you can use their trip calculator here on their website to see what a trip would cost. Just choose the type of vehicle, the time you want to use it, & how far you're planning to go. 

Total cost to drive: $528.52

#VikingBiking for after school pickup in December

Cycling

2022 saw no huge purchases on bike gear, other than a new pair of tires for my Tern GSD. We replaced front & rear brake pads & a chain, plus paying our local bike shop to have the studded winter tires taken off in late winter & put on again in late fall. All that came to $499.64.

Electricity costs are a bit harder to calculate, because it's only a few cents each time we charge our bikes. I'd say we spent about $10 on electricity charging my Tern GSD & Oliver's Tern Vektron. I estimate about 60 full charges of the 900Wh of batteries in the roughly 5000km I rode. Oliver rides much less than me, as he's been working from home 99% of the time, so I doubt he needed a full charge more than once a month.

Total cost to run our bikes: $509.64

Aquabus tour of False Creek for Canada Day

Ferries

On Canada Day, my friend Donna, Bronte & I played tourist in our own town for the day & got Aquabus passes so we could flit around False Creek by boat for the day. That cost us a grand total of $30. We didn't manage to do any camping trips this year, sadly, but we did do one short daytrip to Bowen, which cost B & I a grand total of $16.75

These two trips were recreational, & we likely would still have taken both even if we were diehard car people, but bringing a vehicle to Bowen Island would have cost us about $32 more in ferry fares alone.

Total cost of boat travel: $46.75

Transit

We took transit more this year than 2021, but a lot of my trips were paid by my employer (I have a Compass card that I can use to travel to & from work). Another thing that cut down on transit costs is here in BC, kids under 13 travel free. Between all four of us, our transit costs were only $17.15, which is about six one-way trips.

Total cost for transit: $17.15

And, that's it for all the categories of transportation, so... *drum roll please*

The total transportation costs for our car-free family of four in 2022 was $1,102.06.

This is 7.5% less than we spent last year & about nine times less than the average person spends on owning a car. Keeping our transportation costs this low by not owning a car is one of the biggest factors in how we can afford to live in such an expensive city as Vancouver. It isn't always fun to cycle or walk in the rainy weather, but I do love how much exercise just gets built into my life without having to think about it. & on those days where it's just too cold or too icy or too wet (not actually that often) or too far to bike where we need to go, we can always drive a Modo.

So, how about you? What did you spend on transportation last year? Do you total it up annually? What are the upsides & downsides of how you get around? What do you do to save costs on transportation?

If you're curious about our past transportation costs, you can check out my posts on the breakdown for 2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 here.

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Hiking through Disability with Modo

Today we decided on a whim to grab a Modo & go to Whytecliff Park, to see what we could see at the still fairly low low tide. The weather forecast looked great--cool, overcast, 10% chance of rain. Maybe the park wouldn't be too too busy, since it didn't really seem like beach weather? When I left the house to go pick up the Modo that is just a few blocks from home, it had started raining. Guess we got lucky & were that 10% today? (sad trombone noises)

The short walk to get the car was still quite pleasant, as the rain was really light & I realized, hey! Here's another new thing post-hip surgery. It'd been ages since I'd just gone for a walk in the rain with an umbrella. When I used a cane before my surgery, It always felt way too awkward to also carry an umbrella, so on the extremely rare occasion I walked anywhere & it was raining, I'd just use a raincoat with a hood.

Once I drove the car back to the house, we decided to shift plans to a hike in Lighthouse Park, so if it continued raining, we'd at least be under the trees for a lot of it. When we arrived at the park, we were trying to figure out when we last visited. I realized as we were setting off on the hike that the last time was almost exactly three years ago. 

How did I know it was almost exactly three years ago that we were in Lighthouse Park? Well, that experience was what convinced me to apply for a SPARC disabled parking pass. Three years ago, we walked down the main trail--if you haven't been there, Beacon Lane is really more of a road, though it's closed to cars--then scrambled down to the East Beach. I remember that I was already nearly DONE by that point from the pain of my hip osteoarthritis. From about 800m of walking down a hill. But we still had to get back up to the car. I was so tired & in a lot of pain by the time we got back up to the car in the parking lot. 

When we got through West Van near Park Royal, bridge traffic was moving pretty slow, as usual, so we decided to stop at White Spot & wait it out while we had dinner. We ended up driving around & around in the mall lot, getting slightly lost because some of the exits were closed due to construction. We couldn't find any parking near the restaurant. It was incredibly frustrating: I think it took us 15 minutes to find somewhere to park the car & then we had to walk a a few hundred metres to get to the restaurant. After having sat in the car for a bit post hike, my hips were pretty stiff & painful, so this relatively short distance was really awful. 

When I got home, I looked up the SPARC website & looked at the requirements for applying for a pass. I printed off the form, made an appointment with my doctor so she could sign it, then sent it off with the fee & my pass arrived in the mail soon after. SPARC passes are not tied to the license plate of the car, only to the person who has the pass, so we used them with Modo cars when we were parking anywhere with a big lot. It made my life a lot easier to have a wider space to park in too, so I could swing my door fully open & lever myself out of the car & get my cane or Nordic poles out. In the early days after my hip replacement surgery, I needed that space to get on my crutches too. 

About a month ago, I got a letter in the mail, letting me know it was time to renew my SPARC pass, as it would expire at the end of July this year. That was about two months after my hip replacement surgery, when I was getting to the point where I was starting to feel downright able-bodied. It's funny, because four months ago, I was making a mental note to reapply for my SPARC pass later this summer. Then, poof! I got the call for a hip replacement surgery date on a cancellation in three days, & my life changed.

Not that surgery was an instantaneous fix for my hip issues--recovery felt slow at times & I've definitely done a lot of work to get here since my hip replacement. It's been about 15 weeks now since my surgery & I'm still adjusting to what my body can do on a weekly basis. Today when we packed up all our things to go on this short hike, I brought my Nordic poles to help me with stability on the rockier & steeper bits of the trails. However, once I got down to the water with them, I realized that they were more hassle than help, so I let Bronte use them on the way back up. 

It is so incredibly satisfying to really feel the progress like this. For weeks after surgery, I was walking up stairs with only my left leg, pulling my right leg up behind me each step. Then I started walking up alternating legs, but it was still painful to take those steps with my right maybe a month ago.

But today I did a 2km hike with about 100m of elevation gain with no pain at all. It felt so good to be able to just enjoy the forest; I was grinning all the way up the hill back to the Modo car. It's really funny how these two Lighthouse Park visits bookended my SPARC pass so perfectly. 

I cannot wait to do more hiking this summer!

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Family Biking @ WTQ Night - Our Community Bikes

I'm doing an informal talk about family biking for WTQ Night at Our Community Bikes on Wednesday, July 6 at 7:30-8:00pm. I put together a few images & resources I wanted to share in case people were curious about what family biking setups can look like. There are many other options out there, but here's a selection of the common ones you'll find here in Vancouver, as well as a few great low-cost options.

My Family Biking Evolution

2011: Started family biking with my then

10-year-old hybrid bike & a MEC trailer 

when my first child was nine months old

2012: iBert front seat with first kid at 20 months

2013: used Trailabike with oldest kid at age 3.5

2014: new Yuba Mundo longtail cargo bike with two child seats,
kids are 3.5years & 9 months

2016: used Bakfiets Long, kids are 3 & 6 here

2019: got a Tern GSD S10 e-cargobike when kids were 6 & 9.
It still carries them daily at almost 9 & 12 years old.

2022: got a used Bike Friday Family Traveller Tandem so either
kid (almost 9 & 12) can ride on the back 

Other Kid Hauling Ideas

 

Front & rear child seat are usually easy to find used,
can do DIY rear rack options for age 4+ like above
saddle strapped to rack, stem & small bars on seat post,
with BMX pegs for kid feet

Tow cables (red TowWhee on right) or

DIY option with 2 used tubes looped together (left)

"Bag & Drag" to tow a kid's bike when they get tired.
The child can fit on the rear rack seat too, mine tend to sit sidesaddle.
Note: They can NOT ride on their own bike in a bag & drag.

Resources

Vancouver Family Biking Facebook Group crowdsource info, buy & sell gear, meet other families

Let's Go Biking recreational ride ideas & maps

This Mom Bikes Calgary-based all about family biking

Two Wheeling Tots US-based reviews of family biking gear 

HUB Cycling Resources Page All about cycling in Metro Vancouver

HUB Cycling with Children Webinar recording of July 2021 webinar on Youtube

Project 529 Register your bike to recover it if stolen

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