Photo of the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) (source: flyithaca)
As I continued my time at Ithaca College, I realized that there is one thing that sets me apart from most students, which is the fact that I don’t have a car on campus.
The main issue isn’t just that I can’t get a car, but that I don’t even have a license to be able to operate one. Though I was close to getting my hands on a fresh pick even though I was close to getting one last summer — if only my driving instructor wasn’t so hard on me for taking a short left turn. Since then, I haven’t had the confidence to get behind the wheel.
Like most people without cars, I rely on public transportation like T-CAT, which has lately become a more reliable option than taking an Uber because of how much more accessible it is for people. Sometimes I see people who have cars ride the T-CAT, which is surprising because I wouldn’t do the same thing if I was them.
When it comes to buying Ubers, I’m more indifferent as I believe that some of the prices are unwarranted. For example, it will sometimes cost close to $20 to go to a place that is only five minutes away, which I would understand if a place is 20 mins away. However, even the Ubers that are cheaper can still add up after a while especially if you're someone that has to travel often like me.
There are many times when I had to postpone a trip to Walmart because the price of an Uber was too high or the T-Cat took too long to arrive. This can sometimes cause difficulties when I have to be somewhere on time or book a quick trip. Sometimes I end up walking to a place, which is something my New York City feet do not mind at all. I've noticed that I may get certain looks from people in cars when I walk on the sidewalk, but none of that matters to me because I know that I'll eventually reach my destination in time.
However, after a while, my feet do start to feel sore from constantly walking up and down South Hill. One thing that I've seen a lot on campus is people riding bikes, skateboards, or electric scooters everywhere they go. It's quite intriguing because I couldn't see myself getting around in any of those things, but I might consider it since all three of those are easy to acquire and don't use any gas, which is harmful to the environment.
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