Most days, you’ll find Jahasia Esgdaille biking to her meetings across Rochester.

"There's no reason for me to drive downtown Rochester. We have a lot of great bike racks and the transit center is right there," said Esgdaille.

Esgdaille calls herself car-lite, meaning she tries to use alternate transportation whenever she can.

“I bike to work; the office is straight down there," said Esgdaille. "There’s a bike lane all the way, so it's easy."

She’s hoping others will follow suit. The first-ever National Week Without Driving took place at the beginning of October. Participants could get around any way they wanted — just not by driving themselves.

The challenge isn’t about not using a car; it’s more about seeing what it was like to not have access to a car to drive.

"A quarter of Rochester households don’t have access to a personal vehicle. For a lot of households, this isn’t a choice," explains Esgdaille.

That tracks across the state with about 30% of households in New York without a car, according to U.S. Census Bureau and Federal Highway Administration data.

With just small changes from the community, Esgdaille says the stigma surrounding public transportation can change, showing it as a more accessible and affordable option for getting around.