“Mobility is cool – you don’t have to clean the car, you don’t need a parking space and you only pay when you use it”

02.10.2025

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Giving up your own car for a month – is that possible in everyday family life? Mathias and Olivia Huwiler from Emmen tried it out with their two children. As part of the “Lucerne Mobile Challenge,” they discovered new forms of mobility and made some surprising experiences in the process.

Since he was 20, Mathias Huwiler has always had his own car. However, it has never been a status symbol for him. “For me, a car is a means to an end to get from A to B.” The Renault Clio Estate in the underground car park of the Grünmatt housing estate in Emmen is proof of this – practical, reliable, unspectacular.

In September, however, the car remained unused. The Huwiler family – Mathias, his wife Olivia and their two children Elio (5) and Malina (3) – took part in the Lucerne Mobile Challenge. The project of the canton of Lucerne invited families to take their private car off the road for four weeks and try out new methods instead. “After discussing the idea with Olivia, it was clear – we’ll try it out,” says Mathias at the kitchen table. “We just wanted to find out whether everyday life without a car can work, and how”.

Mobility, trial GA travelcard, cargo bike

There was a wide-ranging mobility package to replace the car key: a trial GA travelcard for public transport, a cargo bike, another e-bike and a voucher for car sharing with Mobility. Practical: There are several Mobility cars in the underground garage of the housing estate. Mathias used these on Wednesdays and Fridays when he took his daughter Malina to the daycare centre and then went to work in Dietwil. In addition, the family tried out a variety of options – shopping with the cargo bike where the children sat at the front and the bags were stowed in the trailer. Smaller excursions by e-bike. Several journeys by public transport. “Our day-to-day lives were surprisingly easy to manage even without our own car,” says Mathias, looking back.

«Our day-to-day lives were surprisingly easy to manage even without our own car»

Slowing down at the weekends

The difference was particularly noticeable at the weekend. Instead of packing several activities into one day as usual and driving from one place to another, the family deliberately took more time. “We were slowed down,” says Mathias. While everyone in the car was busy with books, radio games or focused on driving, they experienced a journey together on the train. «Wir haben viel gelacht und hatten insgesamt mehr voneinander.» Einen bleibenden Eindruck hinterliess auch Mobility. “The offer is super cool,” says Mathias. “You don’t have to clean the car, you don’t need a parking space and you only pay if you really use it.” In particular, the flexibility of being able to access a car quickly if necessary has proven to be valuable in everyday life.

You keep your own car – for the time being

However, the family doesn’t want to give up their own car completely at the moment. “In winter, it’s practical. We like to go skiing and throughout most of the winter we stow our gear in the roof box.” The Renault Clio therefore remains part of family life – at least as long as it runs reliably. Should it eventually become unusable, Mathias and Olivia want to seriously think about alternatives. One way or another, the Huwiler family does not want to miss out on the experiences of the Lucerne Mobile Challenge. “We’re not yet ready to do without the car altogether. But we have seen how many attractive alternatives there are.”