Learn the shape of the system
The first thing to take from a transit map is which lines run frequently. A route that comes every ten minutes or better can be used without a timetable. A route that comes every half hour has to be planned around, and a missed connection can cost you most of an hour. Trains and buses are labeled by their final stop rather than by compass direction, so learn the names of the terminals on your usual line and you will stop boarding the wrong way.
Service thins out at night and on weekends, and many rail systems close for a few hours after midnight. Check the time of the last train before you go out, not at the end of the evening.
Paying the fare
Most large systems now take a reloadable fare card, a contactless bank card or a phone tapped at the reader. Several cap your fares automatically, so that once your taps add up to the price of a day or week pass, the remaining rides are free. Transfers between bus and rail are often free or discounted within a window of about two hours, but only if you pay with the same card each time. Ask about reduced fares if you are a student, and ask your employer about commuter benefits, which let you pay for transit with pretax money up to a monthly limit that the IRS adjusts most years.
Riding well
- Have your fare in your hand before the bus arrives, and step aside to let riders off before you board.
- Signal your stop about a block ahead by pulling the cord or pressing the button, and leave by the rear door.
- Take your backpack off in a crowded car and hold it at your feet.
- Leave the priority seats near the doors for the riders who need them.
Staying comfortable at night
Wait where other people are waiting, in the lit part of the platform, and ride in the first car of a train or near the driver on a bus. Keep your phone in a pocket near the doors, since a grab as the doors close is the classic theft. If a car is strangely empty at a busy hour, there is a reason, and the next car is a better choice.
Tip Ride your commute once on a weekend before your first day of work. You will learn the transfer, the right exit and the real door-to-door time without a clock running.
