Your partner doesn't drive, does it bother you?

Person_one

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Personally when I was working whether you could drive or not was immaterial and would make no difference to job prospects.

You were a nurse weren't you Torry?

These days, being able to drive and having "access to a suitable vehicle" is a requirement for nearly all community based nursing jobs and even some hospital/surgery based ones. Even ones you wouldn't necessarily expect it to matter that much.

Of course, there are still plenty of nursing jobs in hospitals where there's no car requirement, but all the staff I work with who don't drive are learning to or always get lifts, because getting to a shift that starts at 7am on public transport is either impossible or a complete pain that adds too much time on a 13 hour day to be a long term solution.

Unless spending on public transport outside London increases massively (which I don't see happening!) its only going to get more awkward for non drivers as time goes on.

KxMx

I've found the differing views on this thread fascinating

I agree when you live in an area with good public transport that living without a car is possible.

Some times it's easy, hard or frustrating!

I've moved as a non driver and with a non driving parent from a rural area to a good sized town to get better access to public transport, because life simply got too hard there.

Most of the time I manage fine without a car, other times it's a bloody pain, like needing to bring Mum home from A&E at 2am and having to sit there another 30 mins because only one taxi firm is answering and they only have one driver doing Hospital runs.

Or you have to sit waiting 20 mins at the Vet with an angry cat, you both just want to get home, largest taxi firm cycles round the job to find a driver who will take an animal, then the driver is new and decides as his sat nav isn't working to go the really long way, did I mention angry cat & I who just want to get home. :rotfl:

But yeah apart from those times when it's an absolute pain it can be okay. You just have to get used to the fact that you are limited to going where/when the public transport goes, small walk and occasional taxi (disabled and on low income).

My parents never drove and I haven't the money to learn so it's always been that way of life for me I am very used to it. Just like some drivers are so pro-car that they can't comprehend life without one is possible.

I said possible not easy....

Torry_Quine

Person_one wrote: »

You were a nurse weren't you Torry?

These days, being able to drive and having "access to a suitable vehicle" is a requirement for nearly all community based nursing jobs and even some hospital/surgery based ones. Even ones you wouldn't necessarily expect it to matter that much.

Of course, there are still plenty of nursing jobs in hospitals where there's no car requirement, but all the staff I work with who don't drive are learning to or always get lifts, because getting to a shift that starts at 7am on public transport is either impossible or a complete pain that adds too much time on a 13 hour day to be a long term solution.

Unless spending on public transport outside London increases massively (which I don't see happening!) its only going to get more awkward for non drivers as time goes on.

Yes obviously if I had gone into district nursing or health-visiting then driving would have been needed.

I can well remember getting the early bus to work and hanging around waiting after work hoping the bus would come soon. Never had anyone offer a lift until I married and sometimes my husband would be able to take me in but that depended on his shifts!

barbarawright

duchy wrote: »

Despite being a car owner and driver whenever I've been moving I've always discounted houses without reasonable public transport links. I like knowing that if the car doesn't start or if I had some kind of medical issue that prevented me from driving I wouldn't be trapped or reliant on others to get on with normal life.

It amazes me how many people live somewhere where they need two expensive cars and then wonder why they have money problems

Stevie_Palimo

PeonySugar wrote: »

To make this as non specific as possible, you live a 30 minute drive away from each other. No direct public transport route between you that takes less than 2 hours. You have to do all the driving to see each other and go places and do things.

Partner is scared to learn to drive.

How do you feel?

Edit: to elaborate, i allowed him to get a months insurance on my car in which I would teach him as much as I could on the understanding straight after he would book some lessons so it's not another gap again, but he hasn't, due to his anxiety. He has his theory. And to clarify for certain reasons I cannot go to his house so whenever I see him, really it's a 2 hour journey from mine to his, his to mine, mine to his, his to mine every time. He just says he'll get taxis but it's expensive and he's supposed to be catching up to what I have saved for a house deposit. We both didn't drive when we met but I had my license. I then bought a car and started driving. I have anxiety so I can understand how he feels, but it's draining me and making my anxiety worse, I feel like all I do is drive drive drive.

A simple solution here is to move in together thus avoiding traveling at all, Downside though is seeing each other every single day but you cannot have it all.

mgdavid

Ditch him, he's not right for you.

balletshoes

Judi wrote: »

I think from the fuss my husband made when i was learning to drive he quite liked being the sole driver in the family... or maybe it was the thought of having to share the car i dont know.

not joking, thats exactly how i feel (i'm the driver, OH doesn't drive). I don't want him driving my car, its mine!

cloudy-day

SavingPennies wrote: »

Wow, I'm quite surprised by the negativity towards non/ unwilling drivers! I didn't realise it was such an issue for so many people. I'm a non-driver (yes I'm scared but also I live in a city with good transport links), but it does not mean I'm dependent on other people, lazy, unambitious nor do I feel I limit myself in life. Unless someone is using you as a free taxi, which would be unfair, then what the big deal is, we all have something in life we don't like/want to do.

This.

A 'personality type' of a person that doesn't drive....what a load of carp! :rotfl::rotfl:

I have never bothered to learn to drive as I've always lived in cities with good transport, and of course I have loadsa spare cash for taxis. And I can enjoy a drink when I go out.

I don't rely on my OH......as he doesn't drive either!

cloudy-day

Buzzybee90 wrote: »

Well that's fine if you never want to leave the city.

Wonderful new invention called trains.

Have you ever heard of coaches?

Would love to see your car drive you to the US!!

There's a whole new World out there drivers.....let the non-drivers show you the way. :beer:

Brighton_belle

barbarawright wrote: »

It amazes me how many people live somewhere where they need two expensive cars and then wonder why they have money problems

Interestingly, I have just totted up costs of other forms of transport to ailing elderly parents with increasing care needs, each week for a year and sadly it's proving to be more expensive than owning a 2nd car would.