Using Public transportation can seem extremely daunting. Especially if you’re in a new country with new languages. When ticket becomes “matkalippu” or station becomes “Gare”, it can be extremely confusing when planning routes across a foreign city.
Learning to use public transportation will save you time and money so it’s important to get in figured out before your next trip!
The first step is to establish what kind of ticket you’ll need. Every city is a little different, but overall they have the same setups. Tickets are one way or time periods. If you’re in a city for more than a day or two you’ll likely want to purchase day tickets. They’ll save you tons of money.
The internet is a wonderful place and a little research on your destination will give you the tips you need to save the most time and money.
Examples: If you’re spending a couple of days in Paris (Ticketing – Paris Metro) then a quick search will show you the different options. A single ticket will cost you 1.90 euros. You can also buy day passes or groups of 10 for discounted prices. These tickets can be bought at any metro stop. Go to a machine, select English, and buy what you need.
Finland is moving forward with technology and you can actually download an app to purchase and store all your tickets making it extremely easy to use public transportation. Again, look into the city you’re going to and you’ll find a lot of the information you’ll need about their specific stytems.
In all cases, it’s important to look at maps and understand zones. For the most part, you’ll be in downtown areas but be aware if you leave the fares may be slightly higher. This is typically the issue when going to and from the airport as they’re obviously not all in downtown areas.
Understanding Maps and Directions
At first glance, any metro map will look like a maze. This example looks at the metro in Paris. Thankfully they’re not as messy as they seem.
Each Metro station has specific metro lines running through it. These are typically labeled by numbers. In Paris, there are up to 14 lines operating throughout the city.
As you go into a metro station you’ll see 2 different names for each numbered line. These names represent the final destination in both directions of that line. Remember this when looking for routes. All names are the last stop of the line. If you’re only going one stop you still will need to know the last stop of the line to make sure you’re going in the right direction.
Example: You can see a rough-looking red line running through theabove image. This line is the number 10 line and it runs from Boulogne Pont de St-Cloud to Gare d’Austerlitz. Any metro stop with the number 10 line going through will have these names. Grab your ticket and hop on whichever direction you need.
Using Google Maps
Google makes this so easy! Honestly, we don’t know how people did it in the past.
If you open google maps you can actually go into your layers and get metro routes layered right onto your regular map.
You can easily find your destination and trace the metro lines to wherever you need to go. Just remember to get off at intersections and that you’ll need to be heading toward the final stop in whatever direction you’re going.
If it still seems like a lot you can use the same feature in your home cities and get a feel for how the layout works.
Google Contintued
If you want to make it even easier, in most modern cities you can put your destination in and let google tell you how to get there. It’s incredibly simple! It tells you when to walk and ride and gives you all the times for the trains you’ll be catching.
If google map layers won’t work in your destination then do a little research ahead of time and you can download any metro maps that you need. There are PDFs of metro systems all over the world and they can easily be printed or stored on your phone.
All this may be in vain of course if you’re headed to remote cities and towns, but overall the steps will help you navigate and conquer any metro system you come across.
Buses
Buses are extremely similar and can get you even closer to destinations when the metro can’t. This is definitely the case outside of downtown areas or in cities without metro systems.
In most cases you’ll just need to buy the ticket from the driver. You can buy them at stations, but your typical bus stop won’t have the option.
Google maps will be a life saver for buses as well as they’ll show you the routes and times just as it would for the Metro.
Like metro systems you can often buy day passes or public transit passes that let you ride the metro and buses. This again points at doing a little research of the city you’ll be in.
Buses have a much smaller crowd of people so you may need to wave down your bus or let the driver know your stop. If you don’t, they may blow right past you without a single brake light.
Taxis
Taxis are everywhere. They may be called by different names, but there are always taxis. They’re typically more expensive than your other options but they’re extremely convenient.
They’re fairly simple to get. You can wave one down on the streets, go to taxi stands, or sometimes even get them scheduled online.
Do a little research ahead of time to get a feel for your destination and taxis fares as well as the best way to use them. This is always important because a lot of drivers will take advantage of tourists or you may get yourself in over your head with prices. Taxis will have set fares between certain points like airports and downtown so it’s important to know when this is the case so you don’t get tricked into higher rates.
Using Uber
Uber is always a great backup. We’ve used it all over the place and never had any problems. Naturally, it is going to be more expensive than using public transportation but it’s always a good source. Not everywhere has the service, but there are copycats that will typically do the same thing.
You can move your pick-up spot even a few feet and save money.
Make sure you’re on the right side of the road to avoid any extra drive time.
Split fares with others or consider Uber Pool if it’s an option.
As usual, do your research. Some countries don’t have Uber or some only have Uber black, this is the case in Rome and it’s actually kind of nice because it’s a more private driver and they charge the same from the airport as a taxi.
In some places, they’re not the cheapest as the government favors taxis so be aware that every location is different.
Conclusion
Learning to use public transportation will save you so much money! It may seem confusing at first but once you get the hang of it you’ll be zipping around the city.
It’s a great way to feel more like a local and to see your destination as someone who experiences it every day.
Buy a ticket, follow these steps, and unlock the world!
Extra Tips and Tricks!
You’ll always feel a little goofy the first time you buy a ticket. It’ll be new to you and you’ll look like a foolish tourist, but embrace it. Once it’s over with you’ll be a pro. If possible, avoid rush hour so you don’t feel dumb for holding up lines.
Give yourself plenty of time. Trains are always delayed or too full of people. Avoid being late to your destination by giving yourself lots of wiggle room.
Avoid the middle cars. They’re the easiest to access so everyone crowds to them. The front and back will often be less busy and you’ll have more space to breathe.
Do your research. If you’re anywhere during the off-season then you’re bound to have some trains or routes under maintenance. We learned this the hard way in Paris and got yourselves stuck. Thankfully Paris has Uber but they’re definitely not as cheap.
Many cities will have tourist passes. These passes allow you to use public transportation as well as giving you access to museums and different popular sites. If your plans don’t line up it may not always be the best option but it’s worth looking into for sure as it could save you a lot of money.