For tourists visiting New York City, using the City's public
transportation system is an absolute must. While you can drive into the
City, parking is expensive, traffic is horrendous, and many destinations
are too far away to rely on walking. As an alternative to driving in
the City, travelers visiting New York City should plan to make extensive
use of the New York public transportation system.
Thankfully,
getting around NYC via the city's public transportation system-which is
made up of buses and the subway-is a fast, easy, and cheap. Moreover,
New York public transportation is safe. Despite stories in the past of
random acts of crime and violence, getting around NYC is generally safe
provided you follow basic common sense travel safety tips (i.e. don't
travel alone at night, don't flash expensive jewelry or electronics gear, ride in the first car near the driver, etc).
For a traveler planning to use New York public transportation, your
first consideration is finding the nearest subway station or bus stop.
There are a number of ways to do this, but my favorite is to use the MTA NYC Transit Trip Planner.
The handy website allows you to type the address you are leaving from,
the neighborhood (ex: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, or Staten
Island), your destination, and when you want to leave (time and date).
After filling out the information, the website returns easy to follow
directions for navigating the New York public transportation system.
Moreover, you can also restrict the directions to certain types of
transit-for example, you can choose to only travel on the subway if you
like.
While the MTA NYC Transit Trip Planner is a great resource
that will make navigating the NYC transit system easy, travelers might
consider a few other options. First, if you have an Apple iPhone or an iPod Touch, visitors to New York would do well to get familiarize themselves with the iTrain NYC Subway Guide.
It's a handy mobile website that makes navigating the New York City
subway easy by offering subway maps, directions via the popular HopStop website,
and alerts from the MTA about delays and route closings. In addition to
the iTrain Guide, visitors might also want to point their web browsers
towards the MTA transit maps to get an overall feel for the system or checking out one of several online maps that are run by individuals on the Google Maps platform (for example, NYC Subway and Transit Compass: NYC). With these resources, getting around NYC via bus or subway is a snap.
In addition to knowing how to get around the transit system, visitors
should also know how the system works. The core of the system is the
MetroCard which you swipe each time you get on the bus or subway. Fares
are $2.25 per ride or $5.50 for express buses. You can buy cards at all
station booths or on buses. In addition to the standard MetroCards,
there are a number of other options for visitors that make using New
York public transportation significantly cheaper. There are a number of multi-day MetroCards
including the "1-Day Fun Pass" for $8.25 or the "7-Day Unlimited Ride
MetroCard." If you are serious about seeing the sights in NYC, these
cards offer substantial savings. However, these cards are generally not
sold in subway stations, so you will want to use the MTA's "Where to Buy MetroCard"
guide to figure out where to buy your multi-ride pass. It's generally a
good idea to know where you are going to get your pass before coming
into the City.
Beyond knowing how to navigate the system and
what MetroCard to buy, it is also a good idea to read over tips for
riding the transit system safely. The MTA has a collection of tips for riding safely.
However, for the most part, using New York public transportation is
safe. That said, you can increase your safety by planning your route in
advance, avoiding travel late at night and very early in the morning,
and avoiding traveling alone. In addition, you should make a point to
ride either in the front car (which contains the train operator) or the
middle car (which contains the conductor). In addition, you should avoid
showing off valuables and should not keep your wallet in your back
pocket (to avoid pickpockets). While you should consider your safety
when using New York public transportation, it is important to remember
that thousands of people use the system each day without incident and it
is for the most part safe.
Overall, getting around NYC via bus
and subway is a fast and cost effective way to see the City. Visitors
will love the ease of using the system and the speed and will quickly
grow familiar with using the system. Moreover, public transit easily
beats dealing with the traffic gridlock and parking headaches that come
with driving in New York City.
