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Frequently on the weekends, i am asked by pesky relatives for "rides" here or there, of course given that they never mention what i get in return for my "chaeffuer" services , i almost ALWAYS say no. Now if it's something of an emergency or important nature (like say, a trip to the hospital, etc) i might make an exception, i'm not a "cold hearted" person or anything like that - it's just i'm highly averse/wise to situations where I'm being "mooched off of" (as any reasonably intelligent person should be).
I've been driving myself around since age 16 (and been thru like 4-5 vehicles now) and have almost never asked/bothered someone else for a "ride" - and i'm hardly rich or well-off, so i find it hard to believe that full grown adults still do not drive themselves/own a vehicle in the year 2017. A cheap beater Honda or Toyota "get around town" car can easily be had for like $2-$3k with some basic/cursory searching on places like Craigslist or Facebook. There really is no excuse to be a full-grown adult and be mooching off of honest/responsible car owners.
Many of my younger cousins (millennials in their late teens or early 20's) also do not have their own vehicles or even show an interest in getting a car/becoming independent - which is concerning. Is going car-less some sort of new "trend", fad-of-the-month, or something that i'm unaware of? Is this "a thing" among the younger crowd? The older one i know of, who will be 23 in October, has never even bothered to get a driver's permit, and has never bought a car (and it's by choice as he obviously has money due to living with mom and paying no bills at all).
On the other side of the spectrum, i also have relatives in their 50's and 60's that do not have cars, and a few that have never driven in their lives at all. I find it hard to believe that you can go your entire life never driving in America, the land of cars, yet a few aunts of mine have done just that - oldest one i know of is in her late 60's.
What's going on?? Is this a new "social trend" or something? Is the economy really that bad that people can't even afford cheap beater cars anymore? Or is it simply a case of increasing cheap-ness/moocher type behavior in society?
I don't understand it. I have always hated it when I've had to ask someone for a ride. Even with Uber, you may be paying for it, but you're still depending on someone else and having wait for them to show up. I have generalized anxiety disorder, and it's worse if I'm stuck somewhere without my vehicle, I like being able to leave when I'm ready!
Some of these kids I think have been coddled too much. My inlaw's 17 year old son is an only child and has always been babied, I swear I think he was almost 13 before even being allowed to ride in the front seat. Needless to say, he still doesn't have his license and is afraid to drive, even though they live in a rural area.
I understand it for people who live in big cities with good public transit. My grandmother lived most of her life in Chicago, and never drove as she never needed to. My mom, also from Chicago, didn't drive until she moved out to Los Angeles in her late 20s. But I also know older adults who live in SoCal who don't drive, or don't drive on freeways (which is almost as limiting as not being to drive at all), and I don't get that. Maybe they have some physical, mental or emotional problem I don't know about, which keeps them from driving. That's always a possibility and not really the kind of thing you can inquire about.
And while I've heard of young people not being interested in driving, I don't see a lot of that around here. Every student in my daughter's grade at (a small, private) high school had their license by 17. I do have one nephew who will soon be 21 and is not driving. It's a combination of his dad's insistence that he learn how to drive on a manual (because they currently have only manual cars), and lack of motivation because his mom is more than willing to drive him everywhere he wants to go.
If I were constantly being asked to provide rides for relatives, I would either tell them I'd be happy to do that but I will have to ask for (X amount of dollars per ride) to cover gas, wear and tear on the car, etc., or tell them I will be able to do it on (day that is convenient, when I'm going that way anyway). There is no reason for anyone to think that just because their relative has a car, they can give unlimited free rides.
By the way the 23 year old male cousin i mentioned? He recently dished out around $2000 on a gaming laptop, a high end fancy multi-button mouse, and some other random gadgets. I think the gaming laptop alone was $1850 or so, not including shipping and handling or tax(es). He buys tons of games at $50-$60 a pop and has a huge "Steam" library, he only works a part-time $9.50/per hour job but seeing as he still lives with mom he has no bills and so most of his take-home pay just piles up in his bank account. I also have a female nephew, around 21 or 22, she has the latest top-of-the-line iPhone (like $850-$900, not sure) and a maxed out phone plan of like $100/month to match. She also buys nothing but expensive designer clothes that just pile up in her room, she also works some poverty part-time job.
Meanwhile, on my Facebook feed, i see cars popping up "for sale" in the $1500-$2500 range on a regular daily basis. Sometimes i wonder if people's "priorities" are simply in the wrong place these days as i described above. People can afford all this "other" expensive crap, but they can't be bothered to take care of something as basic as their own transportation??
My young lady friend (single mom, two kids) cannot afford a car. One of he benefits I offer her is taking her and the kids places. I do get rewarded.........LOL
It's like, getting a car/vehicle is a joke.... it is so easy and not "hard" to do even if you are poor. I bought my first beater car for like $1100 around age 16, and it lasted for 2 1/2 years before i upgraded to something better. Not including gas and insurance, that comes out to an average cost of about $36 a month.
Whether it's cash or taking out a loan, both can be done in the span of a few hours and it's all a straight-forward process. Car loans in particular are a joke and stupid-easy to "qualify" for, seems they hand those out like candy these days with all the "brand new" cars with dealer tags i see on the road. Given how easy getting into your own car is, it really boggles the mind how any full-grown adult would still be mooching off others/car-less well into their late 20's or into their 30's.
If you opt to instead use public transit or Uber/Lyft i can understand that (since you're paying your own bills), but it's the people who feel "entitled" to free car rides from you that can really irk/annoy me sometimes. Then when they get mad at you for saying no, as if i really want to a) drop what i'm doing/interrupt my relaxing peaceful evening and b) lose my parking spot to go pick you up at 11 PM
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, i almost ALWAYS say no. Now if it's something of an emergency or important nature (like say, a trip to the hospital, etc) i might make an exception, i'm not a "cold hearted" person or anything like that - it's just i'm highly averse/wise to situations where I'm being "mooched off of" (as any reasonably intelligent person should be). 
