Have you ever found yourself wanting to go out, but you have no car? Whether that be to Trader Joe’s for some fresh fruit or downtown to a concert venue, you may feel like your only option is a ride-hailing service or waiting for your parents to be in town. Well, don’t fear because I have some solutions for you! I’ve been navigating Nashville, Tennessee, without a car for a little over a year and a half now, and I’m here to tell you: There are so many ways to get around.
WeGo Public Transit
Whenever I am getting ready to go somewhere, the first thing I check is the bus route. You’d be surprised at how far the bus can take you! The two bus routes I take most often are the 3 West End route and the 7 Hillsboro route. Both run on the outskirts of campus; one runs along West End Avenue/Harding Pike (Highway 70) and the other along 21st Avenue/Hillsboro Pike. I’ve been able to take a trip to The Mall at Green Hills with just a quick bus ride. I’ve also been able to tear up the Target on White Bridge Pike. Another useful route is 17 12th Avenue South, taking you to 12 South or The Gulch.
If you’re interested in all of WeGo’s routes and frequencies, you can go to the WeGo Public Transit website. If you’re more into planning as you go (like me), I recommend checking out either Google or Apple Maps right before you leave to see when the next bus is coming and the closest bus stop.
Riding the bus can be difficult to navigate at first, but you get the hang of it after a few rides. Each bus will eventually reach a bus station, so even if there is a route that doesn’t stop within walking distance, you can take a bus to a station and hop on a new bus there. Vanderbilt offers all students, faculty and staff a free bus pass, which is the main reason why I take the bus most often.
I also love that you can ride short distances or long distances. The downside of taking the bus is that sometimes it is not efficient. Buses normally come every 15 to 30 minutes, meaning if you miss one bus, you have to wait a while for the next. Plus, not all stops are conveniently located, so half of your trip may be spent walking to or from a stop. If you are in a serious time crunch, you either have to have your ride planned out exactly, or you need to dedicate more time to this kind of transportation.
Electric scooters and bikes
Although most electric scooters or bikes are operated through ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft, they are usually much cheaper than a car ride. Plus, you get to feel the breeze flowing through your hair. All the ride-hailing app options have a $1 activation fee (Lime by Uber, Spin and Bird by Lyft) and charge you per minute, whether you are in motion or not, so keep this in mind. Lime scooters charge 64 cents per minute and Lime bikes are 44 cents per minute, while Bird and Spin scooters are 57 cents per minute. All the bike options typically have to be parked in a designated zone.
Less commonly, you will see BCycle bikes, which are independent from a ride-hailing app and have specific stations to park at. They have the same activation charge and are 45 cents per minute. You can also purchase daily, monthly or annual passes. I tend to ride with Lime over the other options, only because I feel like those scooters are more prevalent and not as janky. I’ve heard parts clinking and clanking as Spin scooters pass by me, and it scares me.
I normally don’t use this mode of transportation as it is not free. Since you are charged per minute, you really need to know where you are going because wasting time is also wasting money. Also, be advised that the scooters and bikes are inaccessible in hospital areas or school areas, which is why you don’t see anyone riding a Lime scooter near Rand or Stevenson. This is the easiest mode of transportation to or from downtown since traffic is so bad and the bike lanes are normally free. I have used scooters to get to or from Bridgestone Arena a few times for Predators’ games. A small warning — the scooters and bikes are motor-powered and can go up to 17 mph. Misuse of scooters or bikes can lead to serious injury, so please be careful!
Good old-fashioned walking
In some lucky circumstances, waiting for and taking the bus gets me to the same place in the same amount of time that walking does. If the weather is nice, I will normally just use my own two legs to get from place to place. I love walking when the sun is out, there’s a nice cool breeze and it’s between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Personally, the longest distance I’ll walk is 35 minutes. Anything more is not worth it, or there has to be a better way there.
You don’t always have to travel far for cool things, though! Between Midtown restaurants, a grocery store’s grand opening, Centennial Park set-ups and Taste of Nashville restaurants, there is always something to do nearby. If you are in need of some groceries — because let’s face it, Campus Dining certainly doesn’t have everything — there is a Kroger right down Hillsboro and a Whole Foods on Broadway.
Of course, the obvious, ride-hailing or carpool
While they can sometimes be pricey or inefficient due to traffic, ride-hailing is usually always an option. I am constantly getting emails from both Uber and Lyft about discounted deals, and they’re certainly nice when you are in a pinch. Lyft also has a cool feature, Women+ Connect, which will increase the chances of pairing female riders with female drivers. As a woman living in a big city, I love this feature because that small quality can sometimes make me feel just a little bit safer.
When it comes to first-years, it might be hard to find or know someone with a car, but as you progress through your years, I guarantee that you will know more and more people who have cars on campus. It is so easy to get out and do things with friends when one of them has a car. More often than not, the unofficial official “driver” friend will be more than open to giving you rides or being the host of a carpool.
No matter how you choose to get around Nashville, please be careful. I don’t need to lecture you all on the risks of every form of transportation (yes, even driving your own car), so I’ll just say –– good luck and have fun!
