Lewis BarbaraLet’s walk through the 10 cities with the best public transportation in the U.S. for transit planners to learn from.
Portland, Oregon
Since the people of Portland, Oregon are very environmentally conscious, it’s no surprise that they have a very well-developed urban transportation infrastructure. They have a bus and rail system (known as TriMet), and residents and visitors can easily get around the city at cheap fares.
Pittsburgh, PA.
In Pittsburgh, passengers can use both buses and the underground light rail system known as the T. A one-way bus or train fare is $2.50 with a ConnectCard and $2.75 for cash.
Denver, Colorado.
Denver has an excellent public transportation system, with 68.4% of residents approving of the infrastructure. All stations are ADA-accessible, and the city has both bus and rail routes, as well as more than 125 bus routes. These systems easily connect to the airport and sports stadiums.
Madison, Wisconsin.
The small town of Madison, Wisconsin is home to the University of Wisconsin and is a great place for families. Their Metro transportation system is an example of a bus-only transportation strategy that works well for residents, visitors, and students at the university.
Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago is the third largest city in the country and has one of the best transit structures in the country, the CTA. This system includes many different bus routes and rail lines that connect all areas of the city, and 90.7% of residents approve of this transportation system. Chicago also has a robust Metra rail system that connects various suburbs so that commuters can get to the city without having to stand in dense traffic jams.
Passenger traffic is down in 2020 because of the pandemic, but these systems typically serve about 500 million people a year. The train system, known as El because it mostly runs on elevated tracks, has eight different color-coded routes and 145 train stations, many of which are available through the ADA program. Travel around the windy city – including from both major airports, downtown and the suburbs – is easy thanks to the CTA. One-way fares are $2.50 by train and $2.25 by bus.
Washington, D.C..
The nation’s capital has a successful transportation system that makes it easy to get around downtown as well as to get from the suburbs and surrounding areas. The city’s subway system is called Metro, and there are also MARC trains for Marylanders and VRE trains for those coming from Virginia.
Metro makes about 200 million trips each year; it is the second-largest system in the United States in terms of ridership. The bus system also makes about 130 million trips a year. There are 91 subway stations in the city, so people can transfer to the subway from different parts of the area.
New York City, New York.
Of course, we can’t talk about public transportation in America without mentioning the New York City subway system, the largest system in the country. On an average weekday, the subway serves 5.5 million passengers, and nearly 1.7 billion people ride it each year. The subway has 472 stations, the busiest of which is Times Square.
The city also has a successful bus system, with an average of 2.2 million commuters per weekday. More than 77% of residents approve of the system, and more than half of residents use public transportation to commute to work, which is higher than in any other U.S. city. In addition to commuter trains, subways, and buses, New York City has a ferry system for commuters.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco travelers love the historic cable cars, but the city also has a bus system, a light-rail system known as BART, and the Muni Municipal Railroad. The city uses a lot of electricity for public transportation, making it more energy efficient and economical than other cities.
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston’s metro system includes the subway (known as the T), an extensive bus system, and trolleybus service. More than 30% of Boston residents use public transportation to get to work. The subway provides access to the airport, Harvard, and other key places in the area.
Seattle, WA.
Seattle can serve as a model for many cities for successful transportation infrastructure development. Although Seattle is by no means the largest city, its transportation system is reliable and includes rail, buses, streetcars, and water cabs.