New York City is known as the city that never sleeps, which means it’s always busy! Due to the city being so alive, there are so many ways to travel around. The good news is that you won’t be short on options no matter what your budget is. There are commuting options that are affordable, and they connect all of the boroughs. The transit bus network is accessible, as are portions of the rail network. Let’s take a look at your options in more detail.
The Subway
If you are travelling within the city limits, then, truthfully, the subway is probably going to be your best option. It runs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, making it a pretty reliable choice – unless there are delays, of course. It is also pretty cheap, with a single journey costing less than $3, and with that, you can go anywhere in the city (not counting Staten Island, which is accessible by transit bus or ferry) unless you exit through a turnstile.
You are also able to transfer from the subway to an MTA transit bus using your metro card, and it is free as long as it is within a certain time frame. The subway map is not as tricky as it first seems, you might have to transfer lines to get to your destination, but you can get free subway maps, and there are also attendants that can answer your questions. If you want to plan ahead, then download the MTA -Metropolitan Transport Authority- app and try their trip planner, which can give you a better idea of which lines to take and where to transfer.
Buses
Buses are another option, and they are definitely more scenic than the subway. The MTA are also committed to making the city’s transit bus network more environmentally friendly, with plans to go fully electric by 2040.
Depending on where you need to get to, a bus might be more direct. For example, if you mainly live in upstate New York but occasionally need to commute into the city, for either work or personal reasons, then an intercity bus is likely going to be a little easier, especially if you use Wanderu. Rochester is a major city in New York with excellent intercity bus connections to NYC. If you need to go from Rochester to New York City, then using services such as Wanderu will be in your best interest.
Once you reach New York City, all of the transit buses within the city take the MetroCard or exact change, you can either pay when you get on, or some routes have kiosks on the sidewalk. Limited buses do not stop at every stop on the route, so remember to check. A lot of MTA’s buses run 24/7 but not all of them. They arrive at regular intervals, and you can scan the QR code at the stop to get up-to-date info.
Taxis
The yellow taxi cab has become synonymous with NYC, and it is an option for getting around. They are available at all hours of the day. You can only hail a taxi that has its light on. A taxi can be ideal for when you are really tired and you can’t be bothered to traipse about to subway or bus stops or if you have a lot of things that you need to transport. Most cabs accept cash, credit and debit. It is illegal for a driver to discriminate against anyone, so they should take you wherever you want to go. However, taxis are not the most budget-friendly option, so they aren’t necessarily a financially sustainable option for frequent use.
Personal Vehicle
Truthfully, driving around NYC in a personal vehicle doesn’t make the most sense. Parking is usually a nightmare, and the traffic is often bustling too. That being said, it is totally your choice, and if you mostly stick to suburban areas of New York that are more car-friendly, then it could be worth it. You can also use apps like Waze or Park Whiz to help you to navigate the city.
Bike
Biking is the most environmentally friendly mode of transport, behind walking, and it can be a great option for commuters. As well as being environmentally friendly, it is also great exercise too. The city itself, is not necessarily the most cyclist-friendly, but there are bike paths to use, and you can also find a bike map and other resources to make cycling around the city safer. If you don’t have a bike of your own, then you can get involved with Citi Bike, which has over twenty thousand bikes around the city that you can purchase passes for.
To Conclude
Commuting in a city is often easier than commuting in rural areas because, if you don’t drive then you are often stuck waiting on irregular and unreliable buses, train stations can often be miles away and walking isn’t always possible. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that commuting in a city is easy because rush hour traffic can make the commute incredibly busy and NYC is busy at the best of times anyway. When commuting in New York City, you do have a couple of choices, and each option has its own selling points, so think about your budget and your preferences before you decide.
