If you're used to driving everywhere, taking the subway or the bus might seem overwhelming. Even so, if you live in an urban area where it makes more sense, or you're just tired of car payments, gas prices, and vehicle maintenance, it's a good option. Here's how to learn the ropes of your public transit system quickly and painlessly.
When I moved downtown from the suburbs, there was a lot for me to love. but taking the subway and the bus from place to place instead of just hopping in my car?which I had always done?was a bit of a shift. I was used to being in complete control of when I left somewhere and when I got to my destination.
Still, frustrations like parking, parking tickets, gas prices, and traffic started to mount, so I decided it was time to get better acquainted with my transit options. Here's what I learned, along with some tools and tricks that you can use to become a transit ninja in your town.
Use Mobile Apps and Tools to Navigate the System
Most major cities (at least here in the US) have their own websites with trip planners, schedules, and other useful tools to help you plan your route and find out the best time to leave in order to get where you're going in good time. Here in Washington DC, the local travel authority has a start to finish trip planner that includes subways, buses, and walking routes. Some cities even have apps dedicated to helping commuters and visitors navigate their transit systems. Some of them are official, others are made by travelers for travelers. New York City, for example, has several worth checking out.
Similarly, HopStop uses open data from transit agencies and crowd-sourced travel information to give you incredibly accurate and up-to-date information on your commute or transit times. NextBus is another app that will show you when, as the name implies, the next bus will arrive, in dozens of cities and municipalities in the United States. Keep an eye out for specific apps that are designed to make the commute a little easier in your city.
If your community doesn't have a trip planner (or it's not terribly accurate), you can always turn to Google Maps. Google Maps' transit and walking directions are remarkably accurate and available in major cities and municipalities around the globe. They may not always have the most current data, like subway track closures or incident reports, but depending on where you live, they just might.
Use Street View to Make Sure You're In the Right Place
We've discussed some clever uses for Google Street View before, but it's also a useful tool to help you navigate public transit. If you know you'll be taking a bus to the office, you can use Street View to look around the nearby roadways, zoom in on signage, and see which stop is the one you need to remember, and which buses will pick you up or drop you off at which stops. It's also great for helping you figure out where the closest bus stop to your house, favorite lunch spot, or other destination really is, and how far you'll have to walk to get there (so you'll be ready for a hike if you know the bus will drop you off a mile from the office). Similarly, it's useful to help you figure out where the subway station entrance is exactly if you've never seen it before?instead of trusting a top-down map with an "M" labeled on the corner of an intersection.
Do a Dry Run
If you drive to and from work, you know it can be pretty useful to do a dry run when your commute changes. Whether it's a new office address or a new job, it's worth trying the route you plan to drive so you can get the hang of how long it'll take before you're crunched for time on your first day. The same is true for transit. You don't have to try it during rush hour (although that's the best way to get a real idea of what you're in for), but even an after-hours ride on the subway will help you understand how to navigate subway stations, transfer points, and which exit you should use to leave the station and catch your bus or walk to the office.
If you have a bus trip in store, you may want to do a "pretend commute" one day, get up, and see how difficult it is to get to your new office on a typical morning, buses, transfers, walking, and all. You don't want to plan for a half-hour commute only to find out the buses don't run as often when you need to catch one, or you didn't account for the walk from the bus stop to the office.
Don't Overburden Yourself
One of the things you'll have to get used to when you don't drive is that you don't have a car to go back to or use as supplemental storage. Everything you need during the day you'll have to have in your everyday carry, and if you want to navigate the subway smoothly or slip on and off the bus, you probably don't want a massive backpack loaded down with stuff or a box under both arms. It can tempting to carry everything in your bag, but try to only keep the things you know you'll really need on you, just for comfort (and back health) purposes.
You may really want to take that box of desk toys to work, but think about how much of a pain it'll be to carry on the subway before you head out the door. The same applies for things you want to bring home from the office: if it's heavy, maybe you should bring the car in tomorrow and pick it all up. Also, leave a little room for entertainment: subway trips and bus rides aren't the most interesting things in the world, so while it's great to not have to deal with traffic and annoying drivers, you may want to pack a good book or an ereader, a 3DS, or load up your phone with games, music, and podcasts to keep you occupied. Don't forget to pack a nice pair of headphones. We have some in-ear and over-ear suggestions for you.
Watch, Learn, and Be Courteous
Transit etiquette isn't something taught in school, but it's not hard to pick up when you're actually using the subway or the bus. Some things are pretty common sense: If you're sitting in a crowded subway or a bus, don't spread out?keep your bag or backpack on your lap and leave the seat open. When riding an escalator, stand to the right so faster-moving people can climb the steps on your left. If you need to stop and look at your phone, talk to someone, or check something in your bag, move out of the flow of foot traffic. These things may seem like basic courtesy, but you'd be surprised how often I ride the subway or hop on a bus and see otherwise.
Wear comfy shoes (I know a lot of people who wear sneakers on the subway and change into nicer shoes when they get to the office) and get a reusable fare card (in many places, the same card can be used for trains, buses, and transfers). If you're a tourist, look for day passes?they almost always save you money and give you complete freedom to roam. Beyond that, some cultural nuances are only apparent once you start taking transit in a specific location. Keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings?don't get overwhelmed, and if you're a tourist, don't fall into the glassy-eyed-tourist-stare. Watch the people around you and move in time with them: you'll get to your destination faster.
Keep Emergency Cash In Your Wallet and Taxi Numbers On Your Phone, Just In Case
Sometimes you can't help but run a little late. Other times you're on time only to find out that there's a problem on the subway line you ride, or the bus that normally picks you up broke down. For most of us, it's not a big deal if we're late once in a blue moon, but if you're on a timetable or have an important appointment to get to, you need options. For those occasions, keep a $20 stashed in your wallet (preferably not where you keep the rest of the cash, so you won't be tempted to spend it) and a local cab company in your phone's contacts.
This way, the moment you descend into a train station and see the big message board lit up with transit alerts all along your route, you know you can call a cab and arrange a pickup at the last stop before there's trouble. In some places, cabs queue up outside of transit stations waiting for fares, but they usually depart after dark or when rush hour ends, so make sure you have a backup plan. You'll usually pay for the flexibility, but it's important to have a fallback travel option when you're giving up the reins and taking transit.
It all may sound like a hassle, but it's actually really liberating to know your way around the transit system enough that you can get anywhere you need to go quickly?and sometimes in less time than it takes to get to your car and drive to your destination.
With a little attention to the people around you and a little prep, you'll be able to navigate even the most complex transit systems in far-away cities easily. Even if you do prefer to drive, knowing how to decipher a subway map, make a tricky bus transfer, and get where you're going smoothly under any condition is a valuable skill to have.
Photos by Paulo Ordoveza, Raevyns, Raevyns, Alan Wolf, and Marcin Wichary.
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