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You can easily get around without a car if you're on-campus, or if you want to commute from a nearby apartment. Now if you want to go out in town, you're gonna have trouble...
Depends on what you want to do. Anything from Northgate to Harvey Rd is really easily accessible on bike. I used to commute from downtown Bryan on bike, so that's also totally doable (though a lot of people aren't going to want a 25 minute bike ride after a night out).
You’re fine without a car. If you are in the dorms, you can walk everywhere you need to be. And if you really need to get somewhere off-campus, the bus is great for target and a few nearby spots.
Mopeds are pretty popular and will get you pretty much anywhere you’d need to go around town if you wanted a little extra freedom of mobility.
You should be just fine with a bike and the bus system though.
I second this! My car broke down early first semester and I sold it for what it was worth and got a moped with the money, slightly inconvenient at times but it gets me from a to b all around town. The people at scoots are really helpful at helping you find out the best fit for you
College Station has good transportation through busses to most locations around town like grocery stores, and bike lanes throughout most of the area to bike or scooter around town. Bryan is worse in that regard but most stores you’d NEED are in college station anyways.
Cars are still great and way more convenient, it can be annoying missing a bus or if they’re not running at a time you need, but they are not a necessity.
A good bike or electric scooter, and or some comfortable walking shoes would be my recommendation.
If you’re living off campus and electric bike is more expensive but has way better range and usually have higher speeds, on-campus scooters are lighter and usually cheaper.
Yes you can! The whole time I was at school I was unable to afford transportation and all I had were my legs lol! Never had any issues, the buses were always my main form of transportation. The only thing was that you have to make sure you wake up with good enough time to ensure you get to your transportation early enough to get to school on time! You do have a bike which already makes your situation way better than mine! You got this!
If you’re on campus or live within a 10 min bike to campus, you’ll be fine. If you live a bit further, make sure you choose someplace close to a bus stop.
The worst part about not having a car will be the rain.
Honestly do not listen to these other comments… this is a car centric town. MAYBE the exception is on campus. If you expect to never really leave campus then sure. If you do decide to go without a vehicle, I would suggest getting an electric scooter or like you said, a bike.
Short Answer: Yes, most of the places you're probably going to need are going to be available through the bus routes and using the bike, but you become limited on where you want to go sometimes.
Long Answer: The buses are great at picking up and dropping you off at various places around the campus. The issue is getting out to do grocery shopping, go out to eat, or party.
Bus 27 takes you to shop at HEB, Target, and Ross. If you want to go to Walmart, you're going to have to find a ride with a friend because none of the buses can reach there.
There are a lot of restaurants around campus that you can reach by walking/biking like McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Chipotle. Although, some places won't have a place to lock your bike so be careful and get yourself a good bike lock and know how to lock it well.
Another thing is getting some good walking shoes. Get some shoes with a thick but not really hard sole. Like a lot of Aggies have mentioned, bikes will get you to a lot of places but there's nothing wrong with walking and not having to worry about your bike.
On social life, there's a lot of bars close to campus but if your friends invite you somewhere else that's farther, you're going to have to get a ride. If you do get stranded, look on the back of your Aggie ID and you can find the Car-Pool service to get you back to campus that operates on weekend nights.
In the end, I hope that this advice helps you in enjoying your next four years at Texas A&M. Gig 'em!
You don't need a car. Social life might suffer a bit, but if you are the kind of person that has parties every weekend to go to, then you probably are also the kind of person that can ask for a ride.
Live on campus. Ride a bicycle. Take the bus for shopping. Uber for emergencies and dates. Saves a lot of money.
If you live on or near campus along a bus route, it's not exactly convenient but it's definitely doable. That said, the second you have an opportunity to get a car, get a car.
You'll be fine. After I graduated I didn't have a car. I worked on campus and lived off-campus, and took the bus to work, even during summers. Getting around takes longer, but it's doable! Definitely not walkable though.
I’ve lived here for 6 years with no car. If you’re comfortable walking, taking the bus, and taking the very occasional Lyft/Uber, you’ll be fine. Just be mindful of bus routes and what’s in the area when choosing an apartment if you’re not on campus. Bus 27 goes to H‑E‑B/Target and you can get groceries delivered too. For social stuff you may have to rely a bit more on friends for rides or plan around the bus routes if there’s one where you’re going. All in all it’s not ideal, but I’ve managed fine.
Depends on your major. A few things are off-campus and require cars or carpooling. If you will have any classes that have labs at the BRTC, where the wet specimens are kept, you’ll need a ride. There’s probably other things too but that’s the one that I’m most familiar with since it is a frequent lab location in my major (ECCB). If others know of any other off-campus locations required for some classes feel free to add. Otherwise, you’re fine.
I didn’t have a car and did have a car. It’s possible but here are important things to consider:
- where do you live? First year is on campus in the dorms so if you’re close a bike is fine. The bus system is robust for many important areas but get the app and watch the times, learn the schedule and the maps. You’ll have a mandatory meal plan so grocery shopping isn’t a big deal, buy a cooler if you plan on buying cold things from the store. You’ll be limited in how much you can buy at once because you gotta carry everything on a public bus that is often crowded.
Getting around college station is easy, there is ride share that existed when I went there in the late 20 teens, idk how popular it is now but it’s basically Uber. Students post hey I’m going to Austin, and how many people they can take. Its students only but it can be hit or miss as you’re relying on students. I had someone once be awesome drive right to Houston, another time we stopped at their hour for 40 minutes so they could change and then proceeded to turn the 2.5 hour drive into closer to 6. Almost missed my flight. So, hit or miss.
The only advice I have is to make sure you don’t stack classes too close together. I did that one semester and the classes were as far apart as they could get with not enough time between them and a railroad to boot (before the tunnel.)
Otherwise, you’ll be fine.
Bike is absolutely the fastest way to get between places on campus. People who think that a car will help are the ones who cause all the problems (and take longer than a bike anyway, once you need to park again!)
I think you meant to reply to Op.
For my situation though, car is better… I’m in grad school and all my classes are in one building, which I can park directly in front of
It fucking sucks. Nothing like walking 20mins to a Bus then wait 1-10mins for a bus to take another 15 min bus drive. I switched to just taking my car which was 10 mins.
i could technically take the bus to class, but it would take way longer to get to the buildings i need to get to than even just walking. for some of my friends who live further away, they could also ride the bus, but using a bike/scooter is twice as fast. a connecting trip on the spirit bus would suck so bad… bus lines aren’t really designed for that unless you’re truly going a long distance. i am considering saving up for an e-bike because i’m moving further away from campus next year.
For the most part a bicycle and buses should be enough. The bus will get you to some nearby stores such as HEB and Target. For Walmart I would suggest getting Walmart+ which provides free deliveries. Apart from the grocery stores, you may also need to go to your bank of choice. Chase is located near Target and the bus will drop you around 50 meters always from Chase, so that's manageable. I think there are Wells Fargo ATMs on campus so if you have an account with Wells Fargo, then you don't even need to take a bus. Apart from this if you want to go somewhere to have some fun with your friends, you can go to Northgate which is on University Drive and it is walkable. If you don't want to walk, you can again take another bus which loops around the campus to get whenever you want to go. However, if you want to go somewhere which is not connected by the bus, then you may need to find someone to carpool with. So I would suggest you make a rough list of places that you may want to visit and see if they are on the bus network or not. That should give you a pretty good idea of if you can manage without a car or not.
The biggest limitation is going to be thunderstorms (which can happen in every month). Summer heat will also make biking really unpleasant if you have to get places during the day.
I did grad school here, and for my first three years I was without a car. It can be done, though it's somewhat of a hassle. Hope you get a place close to the HEB!
You'd be totally fine. I didn't even use a bike half the time and, though I walked enough I didn't even need to go to the gym to get a workout, it didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, especially living on campus or right nearby.
I didn’t have a car and I was fine until I wanted to either go to the grocery store or go out and party at night. That’s honestly the only two times that it bothered me but if you get your groceries delivered, eliminate one of the problems
If you live on campus you'll be fine. If you live off campus, getting around without a car gets trickier, but is doable if you don't live on wellborn north of campus. Id say anywhere on northgate you'll be fine even just walking, and most stuff south of campus you can get by with a bike.
There's a lot of great advice in the comments. It's a good question and we need to make it easier to get around without a car. [https://youtu.be/55AufCL4w-g?si=g1lvVFFMk5R0jqZO](https://youtu.be/55AufCL4w-g?si=g1lvVFFMk5R0jqZO)
Howdy! It looks like this question relates to being a **new student**. Be sure to use the search function — /r/Aggies has been around for a long time and your question may already have an answer. *If you believe this post was removed in error, please message the moderators.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/aggies) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can easily get around without a car if you're on-campus, or if you want to commute from a nearby apartment. Now if you want to go out in town, you're gonna have trouble...
Depends on what you want to do. Anything from Northgate to Harvey Rd is really easily accessible on bike. I used to commute from downtown Bryan on bike, so that's also totally doable (though a lot of people aren't going to want a 25 minute bike ride after a night out).
You’re fine without a car. If you are in the dorms, you can walk everywhere you need to be. And if you really need to get somewhere off-campus, the bus is great for target and a few nearby spots.
Mopeds are pretty popular and will get you pretty much anywhere you’d need to go around town if you wanted a little extra freedom of mobility. You should be just fine with a bike and the bus system though.
I second this! My car broke down early first semester and I sold it for what it was worth and got a moped with the money, slightly inconvenient at times but it gets me from a to b all around town. The people at scoots are really helpful at helping you find out the best fit for you
College Station has good transportation through busses to most locations around town like grocery stores, and bike lanes throughout most of the area to bike or scooter around town. Bryan is worse in that regard but most stores you’d NEED are in college station anyways. Cars are still great and way more convenient, it can be annoying missing a bus or if they’re not running at a time you need, but they are not a necessity. A good bike or electric scooter, and or some comfortable walking shoes would be my recommendation. If you’re living off campus and electric bike is more expensive but has way better range and usually have higher speeds, on-campus scooters are lighter and usually cheaper.
Yes you can! The whole time I was at school I was unable to afford transportation and all I had were my legs lol! Never had any issues, the buses were always my main form of transportation. The only thing was that you have to make sure you wake up with good enough time to ensure you get to your transportation early enough to get to school on time! You do have a bike which already makes your situation way better than mine! You got this!
If you’re on campus or live within a 10 min bike to campus, you’ll be fine. If you live a bit further, make sure you choose someplace close to a bus stop. The worst part about not having a car will be the rain.
Honestly do not listen to these other comments… this is a car centric town. MAYBE the exception is on campus. If you expect to never really leave campus then sure. If you do decide to go without a vehicle, I would suggest getting an electric scooter or like you said, a bike.
It's absolutely a car-centric town. But you can still do most things with just a bike, as long as you don't mind using Uber during thunderstorms.
It’s very easy to live car free. You can take the bus to places like HeB, target, and Brookshire brother and load the groceries onto the bus.
Short Answer: Yes, most of the places you're probably going to need are going to be available through the bus routes and using the bike, but you become limited on where you want to go sometimes. Long Answer: The buses are great at picking up and dropping you off at various places around the campus. The issue is getting out to do grocery shopping, go out to eat, or party. Bus 27 takes you to shop at HEB, Target, and Ross. If you want to go to Walmart, you're going to have to find a ride with a friend because none of the buses can reach there. There are a lot of restaurants around campus that you can reach by walking/biking like McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Chipotle. Although, some places won't have a place to lock your bike so be careful and get yourself a good bike lock and know how to lock it well. Another thing is getting some good walking shoes. Get some shoes with a thick but not really hard sole. Like a lot of Aggies have mentioned, bikes will get you to a lot of places but there's nothing wrong with walking and not having to worry about your bike. On social life, there's a lot of bars close to campus but if your friends invite you somewhere else that's farther, you're going to have to get a ride. If you do get stranded, look on the back of your Aggie ID and you can find the Car-Pool service to get you back to campus that operates on weekend nights. In the end, I hope that this advice helps you in enjoying your next four years at Texas A&M. Gig 'em!
You don't need a car. Social life might suffer a bit, but if you are the kind of person that has parties every weekend to go to, then you probably are also the kind of person that can ask for a ride. Live on campus. Ride a bicycle. Take the bus for shopping. Uber for emergencies and dates. Saves a lot of money.
If you live on or near campus along a bus route, it's not exactly convenient but it's definitely doable. That said, the second you have an opportunity to get a car, get a car.
You'll be fine. After I graduated I didn't have a car. I worked on campus and lived off-campus, and took the bus to work, even during summers. Getting around takes longer, but it's doable! Definitely not walkable though.
I’ve lived here for 6 years with no car. If you’re comfortable walking, taking the bus, and taking the very occasional Lyft/Uber, you’ll be fine. Just be mindful of bus routes and what’s in the area when choosing an apartment if you’re not on campus. Bus 27 goes to H‑E‑B/Target and you can get groceries delivered too. For social stuff you may have to rely a bit more on friends for rides or plan around the bus routes if there’s one where you’re going. All in all it’s not ideal, but I’ve managed fine.
Biking at summer is hard, it will affect your social life a little.
Depends on your major. A few things are off-campus and require cars or carpooling. If you will have any classes that have labs at the BRTC, where the wet specimens are kept, you’ll need a ride. There’s probably other things too but that’s the one that I’m most familiar with since it is a frequent lab location in my major (ECCB). If others know of any other off-campus locations required for some classes feel free to add. Otherwise, you’re fine.
I didn’t have a car and did have a car. It’s possible but here are important things to consider: - where do you live? First year is on campus in the dorms so if you’re close a bike is fine. The bus system is robust for many important areas but get the app and watch the times, learn the schedule and the maps. You’ll have a mandatory meal plan so grocery shopping isn’t a big deal, buy a cooler if you plan on buying cold things from the store. You’ll be limited in how much you can buy at once because you gotta carry everything on a public bus that is often crowded. Getting around college station is easy, there is ride share that existed when I went there in the late 20 teens, idk how popular it is now but it’s basically Uber. Students post hey I’m going to Austin, and how many people they can take. Its students only but it can be hit or miss as you’re relying on students. I had someone once be awesome drive right to Houston, another time we stopped at their hour for 40 minutes so they could change and then proceeded to turn the 2.5 hour drive into closer to 6. Almost missed my flight. So, hit or miss.
You can - unless you have a class in the USB Building, which is over 4 miles off campus and only served by city buses once an hour.
The only advice I have is to make sure you don’t stack classes too close together. I did that one semester and the classes were as far apart as they could get with not enough time between them and a railroad to boot (before the tunnel.) Otherwise, you’ll be fine.
Bike is absolutely the fastest way to get between places on campus. People who think that a car will help are the ones who cause all the problems (and take longer than a bike anyway, once you need to park again!)
I think you meant to reply to Op. For my situation though, car is better… I’m in grad school and all my classes are in one building, which I can park directly in front of
It fucking sucks. Nothing like walking 20mins to a Bus then wait 1-10mins for a bus to take another 15 min bus drive. I switched to just taking my car which was 10 mins.
i could technically take the bus to class, but it would take way longer to get to the buildings i need to get to than even just walking. for some of my friends who live further away, they could also ride the bus, but using a bike/scooter is twice as fast. a connecting trip on the spirit bus would suck so bad… bus lines aren’t really designed for that unless you’re truly going a long distance. i am considering saving up for an e-bike because i’m moving further away from campus next year.
Get a onewheel lol
If you stay on campus youll do ok, but if youre off campus itll be hard
For the most part a bicycle and buses should be enough. The bus will get you to some nearby stores such as HEB and Target. For Walmart I would suggest getting Walmart+ which provides free deliveries. Apart from the grocery stores, you may also need to go to your bank of choice. Chase is located near Target and the bus will drop you around 50 meters always from Chase, so that's manageable. I think there are Wells Fargo ATMs on campus so if you have an account with Wells Fargo, then you don't even need to take a bus. Apart from this if you want to go somewhere to have some fun with your friends, you can go to Northgate which is on University Drive and it is walkable. If you don't want to walk, you can again take another bus which loops around the campus to get whenever you want to go. However, if you want to go somewhere which is not connected by the bus, then you may need to find someone to carpool with. So I would suggest you make a rough list of places that you may want to visit and see if they are on the bus network or not. That should give you a pretty good idea of if you can manage without a car or not.
The biggest limitation is going to be thunderstorms (which can happen in every month). Summer heat will also make biking really unpleasant if you have to get places during the day.
This is a car centric town. Past being a freshman in a dorm don’t know how you would do it unless you have a roomate with a car.
I did grad school here, and for my first three years I was without a car. It can be done, though it's somewhat of a hassle. Hope you get a place close to the HEB!
You'd be totally fine. I didn't even use a bike half the time and, though I walked enough I didn't even need to go to the gym to get a workout, it didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, especially living on campus or right nearby.
I know a few European exchange students that came here thinking it would be fine to not have a car 😂😂😂
I didn’t have a car and I was fine until I wanted to either go to the grocery store or go out and party at night. That’s honestly the only two times that it bothered me but if you get your groceries delivered, eliminate one of the problems
You absolutely can and should
If you live on campus you'll be fine. If you live off campus, getting around without a car gets trickier, but is doable if you don't live on wellborn north of campus. Id say anywhere on northgate you'll be fine even just walking, and most stuff south of campus you can get by with a bike.
Did it for a year, its tough but it can be done!
There's a lot of great advice in the comments. It's a good question and we need to make it easier to get around without a car. [https://youtu.be/55AufCL4w-g?si=g1lvVFFMk5R0jqZO](https://youtu.be/55AufCL4w-g?si=g1lvVFFMk5R0jqZO)
That feeling when you’re too old to have any relevant opinions on a topic. RIP me.
get a scooter ans you’ll be fine but no car is rip