export_ofoct.com (31)

[00:01.87] Abidemi: So Jeremy, you don’t have a car now but you had a car when you were younger.

[00:07.12] How do you find that?

[00:08.37] Jeremy: Well, I mean, the reason I don’t have a car now is because of money. I can’t afford a car at this point.

[00:17.87] But it’s been many years since I actually owned a car.

[00:22.38] And I’ve gotten really used to taking public transit.

[00:25.37] And when you don’t have a car for several years, you just get used to it and then I can sort of justify it to myself saying, “Well, I’m doing my part for the environment.

[00:36.13] I’m not emitting all those emissions onto the atmosphere, so this is small, small part for the world.”

[00:43.62] But then when I think about how I can’t take a road trip up into the mountains or go to the ocean or just enjoy my freedom,

[00:52.12] or I can’t have 15 minutes where I get to listen to my own music and sing along in the car or just have that time to spend to myself, I really, really miss it, honestly.

[01:05.63] Some of my best times from my youth were actually just driving around with my friends.

[01:12.37] And I don’t get that anymore. And even just to go out and pick something up from the supermarket on a rainy day, I don’t have that convenience anymore.

[01:22.87] I mean, it's not the worst in the world not having a car but sometimes, I really, really miss it.

[01:29.62] What about you, Abidemi? I know you have transit—or you have transportation now. How do you enjoy that?

[01:35.12] Abidemi: That’s true. I think my story is the opposite of yours actually, Jeremy.

[01:39.12] For the longest time, I didn’t have a car or transportation. All I had was my bike or walking everywhere.

[01:45.37] And although I enjoyed that, I enviedmy friends who had cars and could just take off at any moment, go wherever they wanted to.

[01:52.88] Now I have a scooter and I absolutely love it. I would prefer a car on some days, it’s true, on those days or when it’s really cold and I need the heat of a car.

[02:06.62] But the convenience of having my scooter and the fact that it’s so cheap. I can go anywhere, anytime. I don’t have to look for parking. The parking is free.

[02:15.62] I can leave it on the side the road somewhere and find it there and don’t have to pay for parking. Yeah, I really enjoy that.

[02:23.12] And it just feels cooler.

[02:25.37] I think wherever I live, wherever I go now, I would—even if I do buy a car someday, I would always want to have a scooter or a motorbike because it's just something—I don’t know, exciting.

[02:37.12] Jeremy: As a scooter driver though, do you ever feel intimidated by the cars on the road? I mean, is it dangerous do you think driving a scooter around?

[02:47.87] Abidemi: That is a very good question. It’s true. When you talk about road rage, people being—road rage is one thing when it’s car versus car.

[02:57.88] But when you’re on a scooter and you can’t go as fast as the other drivers, and they are behind you.

[03:04.13] Although, they’re very polite, sometimes, they don’t honk but you can feel them coming behind you.

[03:10.12] So I try to drive as close to the edge as possible.

[03:15.63] At times, I just had to pull over because I don’t want you to hit me.

[03:16.38] I know you want to get to where you want to go and you’re faster than me.

[03:19.12] So I just pull to the side, let the car pass and just go my way. So it’s true. It is safety.

[03:24.37] You have to be really safe and conscientious and just have to pay attention to what you’re doing.

[03:31.12] Jeremy: Sounds like you have the right attitude as a scooter driver.

[03:32.37] Abidemi: I try. I try. I want to be safe.

[03:33.62] Jeremy: Yeah.