The One-Trip Challenge: What Happens When You Stop Driving Alone Just Once?

Oct 9

You told your coworker you’d ride with them on Friday. A Friday? In October? That’s a bold strategy.

You approach the car. The passenger door opens. Now, this is usually where the audience starts yelling at the screen, but it’s fine – everything is fine.

Twenty minutes later, you arrive at work, alive. Slightly more informed about your coworker’s divorce than you wanted to be, but alive.

No axe murderer. Just someone named Kevin who also hates paying for gas.

unsplash.com/james kovin

Sometimes the unfamiliar thing is considerably less exciting than your brain makes it out to be. You spent more time thinking about whether to ask for a ride than you spent in the car. Once you worked out the details, it was just a Friday.

That’s the idea behind goCommute’s One-Trip Challenge. This October, replace one trip you normally drive alone with a carpool, transit ride, walk, or bike ride. Choose something that fits your life, try it, and see whether it’s worth doing again.

Because “worth doing again” is where this gets interesting. We tend to talk about transportation like everyone has chosen a side. You’re a driver. A cyclist. A transit rider. Meanwhile, most of us are just trying to get somewhere without spending more money, time, or patience than we have available.

You can drive to work most days and share a ride on Fridays. You can take transit to an event and drive to the grocery store. You can work from home one day (telework can be a three- day challenge… right?). Walking to lunch does not require an announcement about your new lifestyle. You can just go get lunch.

Still, there are reasons people stick with what they know. Your car is available when you need it. You know where everything is. You can leave without consulting anyone, and nobody gets a vote on the music. Giving up that control, even briefly, can feel like more trouble than it’s worth.

So don’t start with the day you need that control most. If you have school pickup, an appointment, and errands after work, choose another day. If a particular bus trip would require connections you’re uncomfortable making, look at a different destination. The challenge should fit into your schedule without requiring you to reorganize your entire life around it.

unsplash.com/ian odonnell

A Hampton Roads commuter already has enough logistics to manage. Start with the trip where you can see a realistic opening: a coworker who lives nearby, an outing served by transit, or a short drive you keep making out of habit.

Then answer the questions that would otherwise keep you from trying. Where will you meet? When will you leave? How will you get home? If plans change, what’s your backup (spoiler alert: we’ve got that covered)? For walking or biking, check the route, crossings, weather, and daylight. Being prepared makes it easier to follow through.

If you’ve searched “rideshare Hampton Roads” but haven’t taken the next step, goCommute can help you figure out where to begin. ConnectingVA offers carpool matching, and our team can help you explore commuter solutions based on where you’re going and what your day requires.

After the trip, be honest about how it went. Maybe you liked being the passenger princess. Maybe walking gave you a needed break. Maybe the timing needs work, or that particular option wasn’t practical. Those are useful answers. You have something concrete to consider now, instead of trying to predict every possible inconvenience.

And if it worked, you don’t have to make a huge commitment. Try it again when the opportunity comes up. See whether it earns a place in your routine.