Moving to a new city is tough. Moving to a metropolitan city with “complex” public transportation can make it harder. More and more young people are trading in their backyards and free parking to migrate in the concrete jungles across America. If you were spoiled like I was growing up, being able to rely on constant flowing traffic and toll-free roads. Getting use to public transportation can be harder than you think. Here are a couple quick tips on mastering public transit as soon as possible.
Take Pictures of Maps and Schedules on Phone:
All cities have maps of their public transportation routes. If you can, before you even get to the city take a picture of the map and it's stops. Also make sure to take a picture of the scheduled stops for the different lines. These schedules will soon become YOUR schedule. They will come in intervals. Once you know this, it will make everything simple to remember, ex: Red Line towards Turnupville comes every 25 minutes”.
Mapping Applications:
Applications on mobile devices make life easier. A few in particular are helping people get from point A to point B faster and easier!
- Routesy-Free.99
- Google Maps-Free.99
- AllSubway-.99 Cents
- Moovit-Free.99
Uber/Lyft[Pool and Line]-
Both Uber and Lyft have taken ride-sharing to the next level. They are actually allowing you to share rides with strangers! That might sound sketchy but it is no different than the traditional experience of sharing a taxi. For up to 2 people, these options are usually significantly cheaper than getting a ride for just you. The best thing is, the application picks people for you. So you don’t even have to find someone in the area to split the ride with.
Spoiler Alert: I live in San Francisco, I work in the heart of the city and only end up sharing a ride 40% of the time on the morning commute to work(I get in at 7:30am) . Remember, the cost of the ride is fixed, if you’re sharing with 2 other people or just you. So most of the time I ride for a discount just for clicking the Pool/Line option on either Uber or Lyft. Major Key Alert!
Give Yourself a Grace Period:
Even with good tips like these. You’re going to mess up. So in the beginning, give yourself a grace period to wherever you’re going. That goes without saying, but the last thing you want to be is stress about being late somewhere and lost. Being lost is stressful enough!
Enjoy the city and plan ahead. You will get it in no time. Happy traveling!