What city has the best mass transit?

[D M C]

I have used light rail transit in NYC, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco (cable cars and BART,) San Diego and London, so my experience is pretty limited.

I like New York's because the local and express lines allow you to get around quickly and efficiently and, because of the local local lines, you don't have to walk too far to get to a station. I have to admit that it's been years since I've been there and my experience is mainly limited to Manhattan, so maybe it's different nowadays.

London's is great because you can get around to the touristy places easily and it's relatively inexpensive. And it's pretty extensive.

The others are good and a better option than driving.

 

[GIBrat51]

I have also been wondering. Will mass transit ever replace individual transit? We are a care culture here in the U.S and I don't like the idea of giving up my car. It gives me freedom to go where I want when I want.
What if mass transit were available to take me where I want when I want at a reasonable price? I think mass transit would be less expensive for all of us. It has to be cheaper to move 100 people in one vehicle than it is to move 100 people in 50 vehicles. There would also be no individual car insurance to pay.
Will it ever happen? Probably not until fossil fuels and other forms of power/fuel become too expensive to be practical for the average person. There are probably other reasons it won't happen but that discussion could get into politics too quickly and that would not be good.

Unfortunately, I'd have to say - No. Not until we're pushed to the brink of having nothing at all, anyway. Vested interests and political shenanigans killed the infrastructure needed for real mass transit in this country, decades ago. The Interstate Highway system, and a very powerful trucking lobby - combined with lots of Teamster's Union money spread all over Washington, contrived to seriously cripple the railroad industry; and keep it crippled, to this day. Similar lobbying tactics from the airline industry did kill the passenger train, for all practical purposes. And I'm old enough to remember watching all of it happen... I suppose it would be possible to create a national public transit system here, like other countries have. But, nobody is willing to spend the trillions of dollars it would cost in rolling stock, vehicles, and infrastructure. To say nothing of the outrage over having something crammed down individual state's throats...

 

[Killed_by_Death]

The Tram in Melbourne is pretty sweet, when the operators aren't on strike.

Street Cars in N'Orleans are pretty cool.

 

[seanm]

I haven't used many mass transit systems, but I did use the tube/train in London and really liked it.

Ottawa is very hit and miss. Since we need a car, it isn't worth taking the bus even though my current bus ride to work is not bad. It is more money; $3.30 for the bus vs about $1 in gas. The car is about the same speed (a bit faster) but you don't have to wait for the bus. It is the waiting I don't like.

 

[cfsporn]

I have to say NYC. It is flat fare, 24 hour, and quite extensive.

 

[bolophonic]

My favorite systems as a visitor are Tokyo, New York, and Munich. I lived for years in Chicago and relied 100% on public transportation and rarely complained. I also commuted via the DC Metro system for a while and never ever felt like I was getting my money's worth.

My worst experience on public transit involved having my ATM card eaten by a ticket kiosk while touring in Zurich and having to take a bootleg ride while hiding from the conductor in a pooped-out toilet stall.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I was impressed with London, as well as Washington DC. We went there recently, and did not need any other transportation. Took a train to the city, subway to a downtown hotel. Every morning, we walked half a block to the station, and could go anywhere we wanted easily.

In comparison, NYC is very inconsistent.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

They have a pretty good system here in Fort Worth, but it can get crowded during rush hour

 

[Goatrope]

I would say Vienna or Hong Kong.

 

[Richland123]

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

London's system is great. The trams and trains in Amsterdam are also quite easy to navigate,even when you don't speak Dutch. Here in the states, I think I am most comfortable with the Metro in D.C., and have never found myself too confused when using it.

 

[slobake]

 

[SteveCS]

I have also been wondering. Will mass transit ever replace individual transit? We are a care culture here in the U.S and I don't like the idea of giving up my car. It gives me freedom to go where I want when I want.
What if mass transit were available to take me where I want when I want at a reasonable price? I think mass transit would be less expensive for all of us. It has to be cheaper to move 100 people in one vehicle than it is to move 100 people in 50 vehicles. There would also be no individual car insurance to pay.
Will it ever happen? Probably not until fossil fuels and other forms of power/fuel become too expensive to be practical for the average person. There are probably other reasons it won't happen but that discussion could get into politics too quickly and that would not be good.

I think the problem.with mass transit is the first and last mile. Where's your nearest stop and how close to your final destination do you get off?

 

[buldog5151bass]

I think the problem.with mass transit is the first and last mile. Where's your nearest stop and how close to your final destination do you get off?

Even in most cities, you are not parking in front of the building where you want to go, and you are going to be walking.

 

[ThudThudThud]

London is the best I've used. It's been a while (early 90s...) since I used it, but it's not just the 'Tube'. In addition to the underground there are overground trains, and buses. I didn't have a car when I lived in London as I could be pretty much anywhere I needed to be in about an hour. One side of London to the other. With the overground trains you can also get to other towns and cities quickly and efficiently.

Boston is pretty good, but I can't understand them when they make announcements! Ilike how it gets out to the suburbs.
San Francisco's BART is very good, but limited. You need a car to get to the BART stations.
Paris is extremely good. Quaint too.
Rome is a mess. Too much pushing and shoving, and that's just the nuns.
Munich wasn't too bad. Efficient.
LA? Just no.
Haven't been on the New York subway, but I hear it's pretty good once you get used to it.
Atlanta has a pretty nifty system too.

 

[catcauphonic]

Well, it certainly isn't Seattle ... although we do have the Pedal Pub in the summer >

The slowly expanding light rail system runs great from north Seattle to the airport that's far south, but this city is ripe for multiple east-west lines. Many many buses will eventually get you where you wanna go here, but their still not immune to the thick traffic

 

[mrpackerguy]

Washington DC Metro always works well for us when we're there - no need for a car.
Oslo's rail system works well.

 

[Richland123]

Well, we do have the steepest vehicular inclined plane in the world. It's a very short trip though.



We do have a county wide bus system too.

 

[GregC]

Ranking the ones I've experienced:
1. London: The Tube, as many have mentioned, appears to run well most of the time. Though there are delays at times. Most of the city proper is fairly well-covered. I've heard good things about the buses, but have only tried it once in my 3 visits. I also took a train to and from Brighton that was very convenient.
2. NYC: Great coverage by the subway system in Manhattan. The PATH train is also handy for getting onto the island if you're staying in or near Newark. You can also get to lots of different places in NJ by taking a train from Penn Station. And I've taken the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) from Penn Station to eastern Queens and back for a TB get-together. Oh yes, and I should count the Staten Island Ferry--it's free and you get a great view of the Statue of Linerty.
3. DC: Limited experience, but it was easy to use, and the long escalator coming out of that one station was pretty cool.
4. Amsterdam: Only took one round trip. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but we were told you could pay on the train and we never figured out how to do that. So we ended up riding for free. I feel kind of bad, but we basically had no choice and the two rides were pretty short.

 

[slobake]

I think the problem.with mass transit is the first and last mile. Where's your nearest stop and how close to your final destination do you get off?

Around here you can bring your bicycle on mass transit. That helped with that problem. There still are issue though. One problem is cyclists shoving their bikes on to packed subway cars. I have my bike with me I know that if I wait another minute to ten minutes there will be another train that is not as crowded. If I am traveling within San Francisco another will usually come along within two minutes.
There are also designated spots for bikes that most people don't notice or ignore. No problem for me I just point it out.
This morning a saw (ahem) mature woman ask a young vacate the handicap seat. The grandma then sat down. I was proud of her, we smiled at each other.