Jonathan Edewards enjoys being free of what he calls his ball and chain.

No, not a spouse. A car.

“A car is kind of a ball and chain. People are so used to the ball and chain they don’t realize it is around their ankles,” said Edewards, 38, who lives in downtown Pasadena.

Two years ago, he junked his green 1997 Toyota Celica. He’s been car-free ever since. Also, free of car payments, car repairs costs and searching (and paying) for parking.

As an insurance agent, he may need to get around to meet clients. Serving on the Pasadena Transportation Advisory Commission and the Design Commission means getting to City Hall on time for meetings. He also serves on nonprofit boards that meet on the westside of Los Angeles. On weekends, he enjoys taking in opera or a play at the Music Center.

A few times a year, he’ll visit his folks in Kingman, Arizona.

Yet, being car-less has not hampered his life, he said. In fact, it has improved it. When he goes somewhere on the Metro Gold Line or rides a Metro bus, he is productive. Even trips on Amtrak give him a table to spread out his papers and laptop. “It’s my own mobile office.”

While he admits it’s not for everybody, he says he can do it because he lives in a walkable city, mostly works from home and is tech savvy.

For each trip, he methodically scrolls through transportation choices on a phone app called Transit. For example, he may take a Zip car to the westside, then catch a bus to Union Station, followed by a Gold Line trip to Pasadena.

In town, he’ll ride a Metro Bike Share bike. That has cut down on the time it takes to get to the Gold Line or City Hall, solving what planners call the first-mile, last-mile problem. “For me, it is awesome. It is a multiplication factor for the transit system.”

In adjacent South Pasadena, Mayor Michael Cacciotti leaves his old Prius at home most weekdays. Instead, he takes his bike on the train, then rides from the Little Tokyo Gold Line Station to his job at the Ronald Reagan State Building.

A trip from his home to the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Diamond Bar requires three buses and lots of patience. An hour trip by car takes 2 1/2 hours by mass transit.

Cacciotti, like Edewards, says helping the planet by reducing your carbon footprint makes them feel good.

“It is a personal thing. I am not contributing to a person who has asthma or a respiratory problem,” said Cacciotti, an SCAQMD board member.

Both men said ditching the automobile is more than saving the planet. It has made them less stressed and more human.

“I talk to people who are riding the train or the bus. Other people just join in the conversation,” Cacciotti said.

Edewards sometimes chooses to walk and not use the bike share. That way, he can stop in a shop or restaurant and connect with the local proprietors. This intimate perspective is lost on drivers.

“I meet people or see people — people I would not otherwise run into,” he said.

Twice when on my bicycle in Pasadena, I’ve run into people and had some friendly chats. I even saw Jonathan crossing Cordova Street and stopped to say hello, remembering I’d seen him at a candidates’ debate and A Noise Within play.

He says perusing which bus, train, car-share or bike-share to take forms his menu of transportation options. It’s part of the freedom from having just one — driving your car.

As society moves toward subscribing to a car service instead of ownership, he’s ahead of the trend. It’s like deciding what to buy in the grocery store.

“I’m purchasing time. I’m purchasing productivity and getting stuff done. I’m also purchasing an experience,” Edewards said.

Steve Scauzillo covers transportation and the environment for the Southern California News Group. He’s a recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award for Distinguished Editorial Writing from The Wilderness Society. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram @stevscaz or email him at sscauzillo@scng.com.