Alternate Transportation Plan

Do you have an alternate transportation plan? Even if you aren't planning for a SHTF bug out scenario, having an alternate transportation plan can be a good thing to have. What happens if your car breaks down and you have an important meeting to get to? What happens if you are stuck out of town and your kids are at school waiting for you to pick them up? By putting together an alternate transportation plan now, you will have the information and resources at your fingertips to make quick transport decisions if needed. Here's the information/supplies/gear you need:

• Car (with registration, proof of insurance, and maps in the glove box, at least a half tank of gas at all times, a car BOB and emergency supplies in the trunk, $200 in cash hidden in the car for an emergency, and any other goodies you can think to add).
• List of local cab companies and their phone numbers by the phone and on your cell phone.
• List of local car rental agencies and their phone numbers by the phone and on your cell.
• List of five local friends you can call for a ride in an emergency by the phone and on your cell phone.
• Printed and/or electronic schedule/info sheet with hours and routes for the local bus/subway/train and handful of tokens.
• Info for other forms of public transportation that you can access if needed such as airlines, Amtrak, long distance bus lines, ferries, shuttles (some casinos on the east coast have shuttle service from New York to Boston), etc.
• Other forms of transport that you can keep in your garage (bicycle, motorcycle, moped, canoe, kayak, motorboat, ATV, motor home, along with any registration/license/spare gas/gear such as bicycle helmet or life jacket/BOB that can be strapped on or tied to it/emergency cash/supplies like spare tire or tube, oars/etc).
• Unconventional forms of transportation: horse, hitch hiking, freighter, limousine rental, etc.
• Forms of transportation used in other countries: jeepney, tricycleta (bicycle or motorcycle with a side car for hire), banka (boat for hire), hiring a car and driver, etc.
• When all else fails and/or for locations within about 10 to 15 miles, don't forget to consider your own two feet.

Those are pretty much the components of an alternate transportation plan. The idea is to have enough transportation alternatives that you never end up stranded anywhere. Be sure to go over the plan with the family and actually practice using the various modes of transport before you need to use them in an emergency.

P.S. for the hardcore survivalists, you may want to add older basic car registered in someone else's name (along with permission for you to drive it, registered to a ghost address, and stashed at a distant location) to your plan. Never know when you will need to get away in an incognito fashion...