Week Without Driving PGH uplifts the stories of nondrivers and invites us all to advocate for improved mobility options. Together, we can win better access for all!
Whether we live in a suburban town or city neighborhood, everyone in Allegheny County deserves safe, reliable, dignified access to the places we need to go. We’re inviting you – whether you are an individual, organization representative, or elected official- to take the pledge to experience life as a non-driver, and participate in the national Week without Driving from Monday, Sept 29th – Sunday Oct 5th 2025!
The Week without Driving is a national week of action that uplifts the experiences of non-drivers in our communities, and highlights the barriers and challenges non-drivers face. As youth, people with disabilities, older adults, or people who cannot drive or afford a car, non-drivers represent nearly a third of the population.
The #WeekWithoutDriving challenge was launched in 2021 by Anna Zivarts at Disability Rights Washington and is now a national initiative, led by America Walks and the National Campaign for Transit Justice.
My name is Kristen Green. I’m a non-driver and I invite you to join me for the Week Without Driving PGH to advocate for improved mobility for all!
I don’t drive because I don’t own a car. I am still learning how to drive and trying to save up to get a car, but it is really expensive. Sometimes I get rides from people but most of the time I take public transportation because I don’t like depending on people to get around.
It can be difficult to be a non-driver, living in Homestead. I do go to the city to go to work, go to events and so many other things, but it takes a lot of time to get around on the buses with the way some of them run. For example, two buses that I take around Homestead come only once an hour, and so, if you miss one, you have to wait a long time for the next one. The ones that run more often, like the 61C, take almost an hour to get downtown and to get me home, and the bus is always packed with college students who go to Pitt and CMU.
Better communication from Pittsburgh Regional Transit would really improve my experience as a non-driver, especially around transit detours. PRT doesn’t tell you, you have to literally figure it out on your own. They did some bus stop changes Downtown, but it’s been 3 months now since they took effect, but people are still trying to get used to them. People are always asking me where to get the buses so I try to help. These changes are confusing, and I wish they would have left it the way it was. I notice that this has made it even harder to get to certain stops, and then you have to make sure you are at the right one so you can get that certain bus you need to catch.
I believe the week without driving is an opportunity for people who drive, to see what it’s like to get around without a car. I want people to see that not everyone can access a car or afford one. For many of us, taking the bus is our only option. I want elected officials to see how public transportation is needed and how many people like me depend on it. I believe that a lot can be done to make our streets and public transit better for everyone, and hope that this will help encourage our legislators to take action.
– Kristen Green
Hear Kristen speak more on these experiences at our Week Without Driving Kickoff Press Conference on Tuesday, September 30!
