October 9, 2026 – A third of people living in the United States are nondrivers due to various factors including age, disability, and the high cost of gas and car ownership. Yet most communities are built around the assumption that everyone drives. The recent Week Without Driving campaign challenges this narrative, highlighting the stories and experiences of nondrivers.

This year, GoTriangle participated in Week Without Driving October 1-8, alongside other transit-oriented partners in the Triangle and more than 800 organizations across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Participants –including GoTriangle staff members – were asked to ride the bus, walk, scoot, bike, or ask for rides during the week to better understand the gaps that exist and why we need to invest to make our communities more accessible. By highlighting how there are people who lack access to driving in every community, Week Without Driving helps win policies that support access across both rural and urban communities — and everywhere in between.

“Committing to a full seven days without driving was a challenge and has been a meaningful experience,” said Katharine Eggleston, Interim President & CEO at GoTriangle. “Even though I have walked and taken the bus a lot over the past 25 years, I have always had at least one vehicle available in my household and the physical and financial means to use it.”

“The connections with other riders, the intensity of reflection, and the conversations both online and in real life catalyzed by this effort have had a profound impact on me and will absolutely inform my work at GoTriangle moving forward. Thank you, Bike Durham, Nondrivers Alliance, America Walks, and all the other organizations that support the Week Without Driving campaign. You all are doing amazing work.”

In 2021, author and disability advocate Anna Zivarts launched the Week Without Driving to increase the visibility of nondrivers. The initiative, now in its sixth year, was co-hosted by Nondrivers Alliance and America Walks.  GoTrianglepartnered with Bike Durham this year to promote Week Without Driving.

GoTriangle Learning & Development Manager Darius Telfaire also took part in Week Without Driving. Telfaire, who lives in Garner, used GoRaleigh route 20A/B to the GoRaleigh Station before transferring to the GoTriangle 100 to reach the Regional Transit Center.

“Week Without Driving was eye-opening and refreshing at the same time. In general, the trip was a little longer than if I drove, but I was able to just listen to music and be much more relaxed on the bus as opposed to when I drive,” he said. “I was also very comfortable planning out my travel the day before by doing research and using the Umo app. It was all very user friendly.”

“Week Without Driving also underscored the challenges that so many Americans have when it comes to getting around in their daily lives,” he added. “Even for me I saw that running errands at lunch could be a small challenge, but that only impacted me once. We need to remember that there are lots of people who deal with this challenge on a regular basis.”

Learn more about Week Without Driving here: https://weekwithoutdriving.org/