What would change in your life if driving were not an option?

Nashville Connector invites residents, commuters, employers, community organizations, transportation professionals and public officials to participate in Week Without Driving.

For one week, participants are encouraged to experience how they would meet their daily transportation needs if they could not drive themselves. The purpose is not to complete a perfect car-free week. It is to better understand the choices, costs, barriers and tradeoffs experienced by people who do not drive.

PLEDGE HERE

Why Week Without Driving Matters

More than one-third of people in the United States are nondrivers. This includes people with disabilities, older adults, young people, people who cannot afford a vehicle or gasoline, and others who do not have access to driving.

For many people, driving is not an available choice. Getting to work, school, medical appointments, grocery stores and community activities may require additional time, money, planning or assistance from others.

Week Without Driving gives people who regularly drive an opportunity to experience these transportation challenges firsthand. The experience can help individuals, employers and public leaders better understand how transportation decisions affect access to jobs, services and opportunities.

How to Participate

1. Take the pledge

Commit to participating in Week Without Driving from October 1–8. You can participate as an individual, employer, organization, community group or public official.

2. Try another way to travel

For some or all of your trips, explore an option other than driving yourself:

• Ride public transit
• Walk or use a mobility device
• Ride a bicycle or scooter
• Carpool or travel as a passenger
• Ask a friend, family member or coworker for a ride
• Use a taxi or rideshare service
• Combine multiple transportation options
• Work remotely when appropriate
• Reschedule, consolidate or skip a trip

The goal is to consider how you would complete each trip if driving yourself were not available.

3. Pay attention to the experience

As you travel, consider:

• How long did the trip take?
• How much did it cost?
• Was the route safe, comfortable and accessible?
• How much advance planning was required?
• Were sidewalks, crossings, stops and stations easy to use?
• Could you make the trip at the time you needed?
• Did you have to depend on someone else?
• Did you change, delay or cancel a trip?
• Would the same option work for someone with a disability, a caregiver, an older adult or a person traveling outside traditional work hours?

4. Share what you learned

Participants will be invited to share their experiences with Nashville Connector. Your feedback can help identify transportation barriers, highlight useful services and inform conversations about making Nashville more accessible for everyone.

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

You Have Not Failed If You Need to Drive

Some trips may not be possible without driving. If you need to drive yourself, use that experience as an opportunity for reflection. Consider what prevented you from using another option and what someone who cannot drive might have done in the same situation. They may have needed to pay for a ride, depend on another person, spend significantly more time traveling or skip the trip entirely. Those observations are an important part of participating.

Who Can Participate?

Individuals and Families

Try completing some or all of your regular trips without driving yourself. Keep a simple record of the time, cost and challenges associated with each trip.

Employers and Organizations

Invite employees or members to participate, share available transportation resources and create opportunities to discuss what participants learned.

Organizations can also use the week to evaluate:

• Employee access to transit, carpooling and vanpooling
• Transportation barriers for shift workers
• First- and last-mile connections
• Commute information provided during employee onboarding
• Transit benefits and other commuter incentives
• Accessibility for employees, customers and visitors who do not drive

Elected Officials and Community Leaders

Participate directly and experience how transportation infrastructure, service availability, land-use decisions and accessibility affect everyday travel.

Leaders are encouraged to listen to people who regularly navigate Nashville without driving and incorporate their experiences into transportation and community-development decisions.

Plan Your Week

Before Week Without Driving begins:

1. Review the trips you expect to make between October 1 and October 8.
2. Identify the trips you will attempt without driving yourself.
3. Explore available routes and transportation options.
4. Check schedules, fares, accessibility information and travel times.
5. Make a backup plan for essential trips.
6. Record what happens—including trips you cannot complete without driving.

Nashville Transportation Resources

Nashville Connector can help you explore transportation choices for work and other daily trips.

Available options may include:

• WeGo bus and train service
• Carpool and vanpool matching
• Walking and bicycling
• Bikeshare and shared scooters
• Employer commute programs
• Remote and flexible work arrangements
• Personalized commute planning

JoiN Week Without Driving

Participating can be as simple as replacing one trip, trying transit for the first time or documenting why a trip could not be completed without driving.

Every experience provides an opportunity to better understand how Nashville’s transportation system works for people with different needs, resources and abilities.

Take the pledge and join Nashville Connector for Week Without Driving, October 1–8, 2026.

I’m Participating

Week Without Driving is a national initiative created to elevate the experiences of nondrivers and encourage more inclusive transportation policies and investments. Learn more about the national campaign and access additional resources at WeekWithoutDriving.org.