Public transportation–such as buses, subways, and trains–can provide some of the best ways to get around a city. The average driver spends 42 hours per year sitting in traffic, which contributes to stress, anxiety, and late nights getting home. In cities where public transit is popular, however, there is a trend toward shorter commute times, and that spells relief for many who are choosing to leave their cars behind.
For travelers who want to see the best a city has to offer and aren’t interested in using a rental car, there are many options these days. The best way to start is by sitting down with a map of your destination and choosing the top places you’ll want to visit–tourist sites, restaurants, bars, clubs, and museums–so you’ll have a good idea of the route you need to take. Do some research on how much fare will cost for buses, trains, or bike rental so there will be no surprises later.
Here are a few of the best places for public or alternative transit.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen has made several lists in recent years of the best cities to get around in, and for good reason; they have committed to making bicycling more popular than automobile travel and have built several bike bridges around the city, making it a clean, beautiful place to travel in.
Washington, D.C.
Buses and the train–called the Metro system–are the easiest ways to get around in D.C., but it will cost you; the city has some of the highest transportation fares in the country, with a monthly pass reportedly costing around $230.
Austin, Texas
Many young couples are flocking to Austin to start a family or pursue a career because they know they can put their money toward a new house and forgo a car payment. Austin is one of the best places for walking and bike riding, as the city has gone to great lengths to build protected bike paths which had the added benefit of relieving traffic congestion.
“Building protected bike paths downtown has been great for Austin. Not only has it made getting around downtown safer and quicker for cyclists, but the protected paths have moved them out of harm’s way and relieved traffic congestion. Having a bikeable downtown has made everything better in Austin,” said Mayor Steve Adler.
San Francisco
San Francisco’s Bay Area is one of the most beautiful, historic places to catch a ride on public transit, either by bus or by cable car. The latter is one of the most cost-effective ways to get around, particularly if you’ll be heading to several stops in a day; you can get multiple rides on a day pass for around $17.
The best thing to do before any trip is a bit of research; find out the costs, possible discounts, hours, and peak busy time for any public transportation you think you might use during the visit and consider day passes if you’ll be riding more than a couple of times.
Article by blogger Dolly Santos
Photo via Pixabay by Unsplash
