What would your week look like if you couldn’t drive? For some people, that question is a fun challenge. For others, it is a reality they navigate every day. Week Without Driving, beginning October 1, invites people to experience their community without relying on a personal vehicle. The goal is to better understand what it takes to get to work, school, appointments, shopping, and everyday destinations when driving isn’t an option. At Greater Mercer TMA (GMTMA), helping people find those options is part of what we do every day. We work throughout Mercer and Ocean Counties to connect residents, commuters, seniors, students, employers, and community organizations with transportation choices that can make it easier to get where they need to go.
Transportation Is About More Than Getting From Point A to Point B
Having transportation choices can affect access to employment, education, healthcare, food, recreation, and community life. Not everyone drives. Some people are too young to drive, some people have disabilities or visual impairments, some older adults eventually stop driving, and others simply choose not to drive. Week Without Driving provides an opportunity to think about what our communities look like from the perspective of a person who needs another way to get around. It can also be an opportunity for anyone to discover that leaving the car at home—even occasionally—can be practical. And you don’t have to figure it out alone.
GMTMA Can Help You Find Your Options
Public Transportation
Not sure how to get somewhere by bus or train? GMTMA provides information and resources to help residents navigate public transportation throughout Mercer and Ocean Counties. Our website includes Mercer County and Ocean County transit information, mobility guides, maps, and trip-planning resources. We can help you identify the transportation options available for your trip so you can make an informed choice about how to get there. GMTMA also manages several transportation services, including the Z Line, Z2, and Route 130 Connection, helping connect residents with employment and other destinations.
Share the Ride
Sometimes public transportation doesn’t fit your schedule or destination. GMTMA’s Rideshare program provides free ride matching for people interested in carpooling or vanpooling. Sharing a ride can help reduce the number of vehicles on the road while also helping commuters save on fuel and vehicle expenses. And for registered carpoolers, GMTMA offers an Emergency Ride Home Program, providing additional peace of mind when an unexpected situation disrupts your normal commute.
RideProvide
For eligible seniors and adults who are visually impaired, RideProvide offers another transportation option. RideProvide provides door-to-door transportation for eligible members throughout its service area, helping people reach medical appointments, grocery stores, errands, and other essential destinations. Transportation shouldn’t be a barrier to maintaining independence—and RideProvide is one way GMTMA helps make mobility possible for members of our community.
Travel Training
Sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t whether transportation exists. It’s knowing how to use it. GMTMA offers Travel Training to help people become more comfortable and confident using public transportation. Training can cover everything from planning a trip and reading schedules to paying fares, understanding accessibility features, and traveling safely. If you’ve ever looked at a bus map and thought, “I have no idea where to start,” that’s exactly the kind of question travel training can help answer.
Mobility Guides & Transportation Information
Not sure what services are available in your community? GMTMA’s Mobility Guides bring transportation information together in one place, including public transit, community transportation services, RideProvide, and other options. Our website also provides transportation information organized around the needs of commuters, older adults, schools, employers, and the broader community.
Biking
For shorter trips, a bicycle can be an effective transportation option. GMTMA promotes bicycling as part of a broader transportation system and provides information about biking, safety, and bicycle-friendly travel. We also work with schools, community organizations, and youth programs to provide bicycle and pedestrian safety education. And sometimes the best transportation option is a combination of modes—bike to transit, take the train, walk to your destination, or use transit for part of the trip.
Walking
Some trips really are close enough to walk. Walking doesn’t have to mean walking everywhere. Even replacing one short car trip with a walk can be a small step toward more transportation choices.
Week Without Driving doesn’t have to mean completely giving up your car for an entire week.
Instead, try asking yourself:
- Could I take the bus to work one day?
- Could I walk to a nearby destination?
- Could I bike for a short trip?
- Could I carpool with a coworker?
- Could I take transit to an appointment?
- What would I need to make that trip possible?
The answers may surprise you.
And if you’re not sure where to begin, GMTMA is here to help.
Our mission is to improve mobility throughout Mercer and Ocean Counties by connecting people with transportation choices that work for their lives. Whether you’re looking for a bus route, exploring a carpool, learning how to navigate transit, finding senior transportation, or simply trying to figure out how to get somewhere without driving, we can help you explore your options.
Make Week Without Driving your opportunity to try something new.
Leave the car at home for one trip. Try another way. See what works.
Visit gmtma.org to explore transportation resources and find options in your community.