FWIW, I also live in CH in a smaller town (not Zürich or Lausanne sized). I don’t own a car. Doing groceries with the bus was a MAJOR pain. And took for ever be

FWIW, I also live in CH in a smaller town (not Zürich or Lausanne sized). I don’t own a car. Doing groceries with the bus was a MAJOR pain. And took for ever because I had to wait around for two buses and then climb a significant hill back to my place with all the groceries. So much fun. I built myself an ebike (just a regular bicycle with a TSDZ2 engine (runs open source software) and a 52V battery. I added Ortlieb paniers so I don’t need a backpack when running errand (well worth it especially in the summer). And I bought a Burley trailer. That trailer can haul around 40kg worth of stuff and with two big crates strapped on it I can do the weekly groceries easily. The ebike takes care of the extra weight and hill climbing. This setup has saved me SO much money!! Owning a car would cost me over 100.- per month just for parking whether I use it or not. Plus maintenance, gas, insurance, the occasional ticket... the ebike saves me around 200.- or 300.- a month because it also replaces taking the bus. And you can park for free easily and virtually anywhere you’re going, right in front of the door. The bike cost less than 1600.- to build (including the tools and the actual bicycle) and is virtually free to use (a charge is less than 1.- and I can go around 75–100km on a charge, maintenance is not that hard and done by myself for free) The trailer cost me around 230.- And the lock for the bike was less than 100.- (I used to live in North America so I was a bit paranoid about lock quality and locking the bike). The rain gear (overpants and shell) cost around 200.- from Patagonia. I also occasionally use the trailer to bring back ikea flat pack furniture, it’s fine. Plus I get free exercise. And when i absolutely need a car I can use Mobility or a similar service. But I haven’t needed one for over a year so I canceled my membership.