Meet Jamshed Patel, one of many carfree Portlanders (Video)

Our latest video is a profile of Portlander Jamshed Patel. It’s the first in what we hope is an ongoing series that introduces you to people who live (and live well!) without owning a car.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 8.6% of American households don’t have cars available to them. But in Portland that number nearly doubles to 14.2%. Thanks to relatively compact neighborhoods, mature networks for non-driving options like biking and transit, and many other factors, it’s more common than you might think to survive without a four-wheeled motorized machine in your life. And with so many parts of our daily lives being rethought due to the pandemic and the climate crisis, more people than ever are finding ways to live low-car or no-car.

Jamshed grew up in Leicester, England and as a young boy he dreamt of driving a car. “I really looked up to James Bond as a kid… he had the best cars… and I wished to be like him,” he shares in the video. But since he passed his driving exam when he was 17, he’s only driven a total of about five miles. He calls biking a “simple pleasure” and uses his two-wheeled vehicle to carry all types of things — including food for people in need.

Learn more about Jamshed in the video, which was directed and edited by Amit Zinman. And thanks for watching! Browse more videos and join the 500+ folks who’ve subscribed to our YouTube channel here.

If you know of someone who has a low-car or no-car lifestyle, let us know and we’ll consider featuring them in an upcoming video.