Houston man gets around without car and saves thousands of dollars every year

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you are sick of getting stuck in Houston traffic, have you ever considered giving up driving altogether? Take a cue from James Llamas, a professional who lives in Midtown, and rides his bike 10 minutes to downtown every day.

"Most days I Bcycle because I can pick up a bike near my home and drop it off near my office and not worry about it," Llamas says.

SEE ALSO: 7 things you should know about Houston BCycle

He's never owned a car in Houston and says he never will.

"So I grew up in the suburbs like a lot of people and got my license at 16 and drove in high school. But for college I was excited to get to a city, came to Houston, didn't bring a car with me and haven't had one since," Llamas explained.

Biking saves time, minimizes stress, and maximizes Llamas' savings.

"I'd say I save most of the average of $10,000 per year they say costs to own a vehicle," he said.

As for the Houston heat? Llamas says most of the time, it doesn't bother him.

"On the bike, with a breeze, not riding like the Tour de France, you can take a nice leisurely pace with shade, makes things tolerable most of the year," he said.

And on days when it's just too hot or raining, there's always METRO. If Llama must drive, Zipcar has vehicles available to rent by the hour at any time. But he does his best to avoid getting behind the wheel at all.

"Every single time I think, how do people put themselves through this every single day," he said.

Llamas recommends starting small: try giving up your car one day per week, and work up from there.