The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Transit Forward Philadelphia is proud to co-host this year’s Week Without Driving PHL, taking place September 29 – October 5, 2025.
What is it?
Week Without Driving encourages people to commit to not driving for the week and see what it’s like to navigate our streets without a car.
For as many as one third of Americans, this isn’t a challenge—it’s everyday life. People with disabilities, young people, seniors, and those who can’t afford a car or gas already rely on walking, rolling, biking, public transit, or catching rides with others to get where they need to go.
Let’s be real: Our streets aren’t designed for nondrivers. Missing sidewalks, unreliable transit, and car-centered infrastructure are just some of the barriers that limit independence, access to opportunities, and quality of life for nondrivers. During the recent SEPTA funding crisis, service was cut 20% leaving many Philadelphians without options to get to work, school, and across the region. While service has been recently restored, the fight for long term transit funding continues. The Week Without Driving is a great way to better understand and advocate for the transit that Philly deserves.
By stepping into the shoes of nondrivers, even just for a week, participants can learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges people face—and work together to make our city and region more accessible for everyone.
Here’s How You can Participate:
Sept 28, | Spread Awareness of Week Without Driving at Walnut West Open Streets
Join our volunteer team hitting the open streets to spread awareness of the challenge. We’ll be out sharing info and handing out free 30 day Indego passes. email uma@bicyclecoalition.org with text “Walnut West” to get more information.
Sept 29, 5:30pm – 7pm | Attend our Week Without Driving Kickoff
Enjoy refreshments, speakers, and a networking event to meet other mobility advocates.
September 29 – October 5 | Share your Experience & Encourage Others
Take photos or videos that highlight your firsthand experiences, obstacles, and opportunities for improvement that you come across while navigating your environment car-free. Tag @bicyclecoalition and @transit4philly and use the hashtag #weekwithoutdrivingPHL
Encourage your network to participate:
We know many of you already live car-free every day. For you, Week Without Driving is nothing new! But join us in our challenge to invite others—especially friends, neighbors, and colleagues who usually drive—to give it a try. This Week without Driving, we’ve got a few carrots lined up:
Cycle September Indego Offer: Indego is offering a $1 one-month pass—the perfect excuse to hop on a bike and explore the city.
Video: Learn to ride in the city with Indego
Free SEPTA Passes: With fare increases looming, we know taking mass transit just got a little harder. That’s why we’ve tapped community partners to help distribute 100 single ride SEPTA passes to help move about car-free.
As we build our movement past this week, we aim to expand our reach beyond Center City in order to include perspectives from lifelong non-drivers, disabled neighbors, bus riders, and bike commuters from across the entire city, and region. If you or someone you know fits that bill, please email uma@bicyclecoalition.org. We want to hear your story.
Together, let’s help amplify the experiences of our neighbors who rely on non-driving transportation in their normal everyday lives, because ample challenges are here are we really need to address.