Public Transportation System

[AmericanEagle]

In Toronto, the buses are all over the city, but the subway lines don't extend to the suburbs. Toronto transit is also primitive in its use of paper tickets, transfers, and tokens. Also, the subway stations are not that attractive.

I've read that New York City has a great public transportation system because the subway lines cover the entire metropolitan area. Other public transportation systems, such as the one in Hong Kong, use smart cards. Also, I watch "The Amazing Race", and I noticed that the subway stations in Moscow are beautifully designed.

How is the public transportation where you live?

[Mathor]

Here in D.C, we still have mainly all paper tickets, and the subway only extends to D.C (so like 10-15 miles really). Once you leave D.C you have to get a bus to get into the suburbs. My experience with New York was great, as it's a million times faster and easier then D.C, and it's CHEAPER.

[Niamh]

only a bus, tram and train service. the main suburb trainline is only along the coast line. The tram only has two lines, one going towards the city west and the other to the south. They have plans for three metro lines and all three will join up in the airport and stop at swords... its stupid as the all will run very close to each other and only tak in one section of the city. Nearly all buses head into the city centre with only a few heading across... We still have some paper tickets but smart cards are being introduced.

[breeze]

In Moscow we have metro, municipal buses and comercial minibuses, trolleybuses, trams. There`re express trains to major airports. Actually metro lines aren`t extended either to outlying bedroom suburbs or suburbs, though several metro stations that will reach bedroom suburbs are under construction. We use train or a bus to get to the suburbs.

[Annamariah]

The public transport in Helsinki has been said to be the best in Europe, though I think it's still far from perfect.

What's good about it is that at least for a student it by far the cheapest way to travel (except for walking or cycling of course), and in Helsinki you can get from any point to another in about an hour, usually faster. I like subway a lot, but it only goes from the centre to the eastern part of Helsinki. They're about to expand it, however. Buses go everywhere, train goes from centre to north and west and in the cetre there are also trams.

What I don't like is that there are many buses that could be in a much better condition (sometimes they just break down in the middle of the journey, for some reason the doors are often malfunctioning and some of the buses just make a horrible noise that they are not supposed to do). Also sometimes the buses just don't come, so you have to wait that extra 10 or 20 minutes for the next one.

All in all the public transportation in Helsinki is pretty good. I lived two years in Kouvola, which is a smaller town in Finland with almost no public transport at all, and I really did miss Helsinki's buses every day I was walking to the university

[higley]

I was in London briefly and was impressed by the Underground, which puts the COTA bus system in central Ohio to shame.

[Haunted]

The New York Subway is ugly but it sure gets you there.

The Long Island Railroad is part of the mass transit system in NY, it acts as an extension of the subway into the suburbs and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean at the east end of Long Island. Problem with the LIRR is it's geared for only taking commuters westbound into New York City. There's no direct north-south routes, so if you're thinking of going green by taking mass transit to travel within Long Island, it'll take you several hours to get to places that would have taken you just minutes by car.

[1n50mn14]

Toronto transit system is the suck. I live in Guelph, but am in Toronto frequently. On extended visits to both NYC and London, I was impressed by the frequency, speed, and cleanliness (yes, cleanliness) of the transit systems, especially the underground, compared to Toronto. Taking the Toronto subway is certainly a dirty adventure...

The public transit system in Guelph is among the worst I have ever encountered. The buses are a) VERY expensive- to get where I'm going and back costs me five dollars, if not more. $2.50 a trip is unacceptable for the service received. Buses don't run late on Sundays, they only run until midnight the rest of the time, many of the bus drivers are rude and take many liberties with their job. Stopping at the rec centre for fifteen minutes and leaving us on the bus while you get a coffee is UNACCEPTABLE to me. The information system for finding out when the bus comes *Next Bus* is constantly wrong: the website says one time, the schedule outside says another, and when you phone, you get yet another estimate! In 2007-2008, the buses only came every 40 minutes. You could never get where you were trying to go on time: you were either very early, or very late. And because they came so infrequently, they were always PACKED: no seats, hardly any room to stand. I could go on and on and on, but instead, I'll just take my bicycle.

[Mathor]

i'm kinda getting the impression from this thread that pretty much all public transportation blows.

[Niamh]

kinda yeah!
Dont get me wrong, i dont mind the bus system here. I have a bus every ten minutes from where i live to the city centre and the bus i get to work from there is also every ten fifteen minutes. Its every twenty mins at the weekend. The transport system here on the other hand would be good if there was a bus from this part of the city straight to the Airport which there isnt. there was one years ago, but it was run by an independant company. What would be a ten minute car journey for me if i drove (and i dont intend to) takes me anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours to get to via public transport.
But not all buses run like the one from my home. Most are every 20mins, some are every 40, and there are some that run on the hour or every second hour. When i worked out in Carraigmines on the castle site, i had to get the 63 bus. This was an every 2hour service. sucked. you missed it, you got a 46 to foxrock and you walked the rest of the way, which involved one of the steepest roads in Dublin. Practically crawling by the time you go to the top of it.

[Zee.]

Melbourne - Australia's transport system is amazing. We too, use paper tickets, I think most people do. It goes from the suburbs in to the city, there are a heckload of different lines and they're clean

[Niamh]

I thought Sydneys public transport system was amazing! Buses going everywhere constantly! and the train service was great. Cant forget the ferries. and there was the trams. and the lightrail (monorail). Sydney was awesome!

[Zee.]

I thought Sydneys public transport system was amazing! Buses going everywhere constantly! and the train service was great. Cant forget the ferries. and there was the trams. and the lightrail (monorail). Sydney was awesome!

Melbourne is pretty much the same

buses, trams, trains, all/most, run under the same company so it's all pretty easy to use

[Mr Endon]

Mathor, right on.

Well, overall London's a'ight, but the Central Line has become my sworn enemy! Why on earth is the most crowded train the smallest as well? And the noisiest. And the buses have this annoying habit of saying mid-journey "actually, this bus is going to terminate in X instead, hope that's alright, busy person running late!"

Portugal is much worse though.

I've heard Copenhagen has the best subway in the world, didn't have a chance to test it. Can anyone confirm this?

Having that said, I sincerely hope governments everywhere start improving public transportation system, so that we have quality, cheap and environmental-friendly buses and subways and trams; I'm a firm believer that bicycles and e-friendly public transport should eventually become our sole means of transportation within cities.

[Niamh]

The Dublin County Council are actually putting a bike service into line at the moment. you can also get free cart rides within the city centre circumference.

The London underground was an unpleasent experience for me. I didnt like the rude pushing and shoving of people who didnt have the manners to say excuse me. Just sighed heavily and pushed you aside. And the crowds were ugh!
The Metro in Brussels is not bad.