He Would Sell His Car and Return to Zagreb’s Miserable Public Transport

A Zagreb resident says he sometimes wants to sell his first car and return to what he calls the city’s “miserable” public transport. Nearly a year after buying the vehicle, he misses the slower rhythm of traveling by tram.

The car offers obvious advantages: air conditioning, personal space, loud music, protection from rain, snow, heat and wind, and a shorter journey from one place to another. He no longer needs to wake up an hour early to catch a bus, and he can estimate his travel time more easily.

But driving has also removed something from his daily routine. On public transport, a one-hour trip to university gave him time to wake up, eat something, meet a colleague or friend, read, play a game, review study notes or sleep with headphones on. Even being around strangers could feel pleasant, because it made him feel part of society.

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I sometimes feel like just selling it and jumping back into Zagreb’s miserable public transport.

Driving, by contrast, means moving through a cycle of “green, red, green, red,” traffic and rushing before arriving. He described the car as a capsule that teleports him to his destination and back. Travel used to be part of the experience, whether he went to training, work or met friends.

Several other Reddit users related to the feeling. One said walking or cycling left them feeling more natural and mentally refreshed, while another said they used public transport whenever possible and reserved the car for longer trips. The Zagreb resident acknowledged that once people become used to a car’s conveniences, it can be difficult to give them up.

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With a car, it is constantly green, red, green, red, traffic, rushing, and then, boom, you have arrived.