When you’re a teenager, your first real taste of freedom is when you get a driver’s license. It’s also an incredibly exciting time in your life, a hallmark of independence.

A new trend among young people in New York and across the U.S. is showing something interesting, though, when it comes to new drivers: There are fewer of them. Gen Zers are driving less than any other generation before them.

For Jaziah Simon, 20, getting from Dutchess Community College to her local grocery store requires a lot of patience. The wait, at times, can be about an hour to catch the next bus.

Simon doesn’t own a car and doesn’t have a driver’s license. Instead, she relies on public transportation like the bus.

Even though she doesn’t drive, she’s looked into getting a car, but says cost is a big issue.

“So $450 would be just going to the insurance,” Simon said. “That’s separate from actually putting gas inside the vehicle; that’s separate from whether any damages, or malfunctions, whether I get a used car, whether I get a new car. It’s very expensive.”

She estimates the total cost, including the car payment, to be around $1,000 a month. Sometimes Simon uses ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. The monthly cost for that is significantly lower, around $320.

According to Green Car Congress and Federal Highway Administration data, people between the ages of 16 and 29 are getting their licenses at lower rates than ever before. In the 1980s, nearly half of all 16-year-olds had their driver’s licenses. These days, it’s about one in every four Gen Zers (generally people born between 1997 and 2012).

Cecelia Vasquez, another DCC student, has been driving since she was 16, although the 21-year-old has friends who don’t want to get behind the wheel.

“My friends, I know that some of them are just scared to get their license,” Vasquez said. “You know, afraid of getting into an accident, or whatever the case may be, but also I know it’s extremely costly.”

Simon is sacrificing her time and freedom to save money. Even a simple trip to the grocery store turns into an achievement of sorts. She says maybe one day she’ll learn to drive, in two to five years, when she says she can afford to have a car.

“I’m just trying to take it one step at a time, and keep my faith open and high up,” Simon said. “Because I know certain things are not in my hands, so I can’t let it stress me out and overwhelm me.”

For the Gen Zer population, it’s not just about having access at their fingertips to rides through apps. Some say they have environmental concerns around owning a car, with climate change being a big issue for them.