Many people are afraid to ride public transit in an unfamiliar city - because it’s unfamiliar, and people are afraid of getting lost or getting into dangerous situations. While these tips won’t make the city more familiar to you, they’ll help you feel a little more comfortable, and maybe you will be able to explore the city more - or get around the city faster and cheaper - than you would in a rental car.

• Planning Is Key - Before you set off for the trip, you should absolutely have the key facts about the transit system, so you know what to expect. Many transit systems have websites, so putting in a Google search would usually lead you to the correct site. Tip Dude always prints out a system map or a route map showing all of the rail lines and bus routes. The next thing Tip Dude checks is the nearest bus stop or rail station to the hotel - often this information would be on the hotel’s website, or call the hotel front desk and ask. Some systems may not have a system map, notably smaller systems like RIPTA in Providence, Rhode Island and NJ Transit’s buses - if that is the case you will have to print out route-by-route maps for the routes you plan to use. Having figured out the routes, Tip Dude generally print out a schedule. At the very least, find out how often the buses/trains run, and when the last bus/train returns to the hotel in the evening. For example, New York, Chicago and London have 24-hour systems; Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco closes down at around 1 a.m.; Washington D.C. and Cleveland closes down around 11.30 p.m.; and in smaller cities like Columbus, or in suburban areas like Long Island, some bus operators start shutting down as early as 7 p.m.
• Ask Someone Who Has Been There - Some metropolitan areas have transit systems that are a labyrinth to navigate. For example, if you were travelling to California’s Bay Area, you might be faced with at least 10 transit operators: BART, CalTrain, Amtrak California, MUNI, AC Transit, SamTrans, the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority, Golden Gate Transit and the two little contractor that operates the airport shuttle at the San Jose and Oakland airports. If you’re not sure which one you need, you can consult an online resource like UrbanRail.net. But it’s a lot easier just to ask someone who has been there.
• Watch Your Back - The thing about transit systems is that they are inherently where people gather, and where people loiter. Lots of people have to wait for a bus at the same spot, and obviously where there are lots of people there are going to be some unsavory characters. To minimize your chances of getting into trouble, make sure that you: (1) don’t carry lots of big packages; (2) don’t have items of value (e.g. iPod) in plain sight; (3) don’t sit alone with just one or two people, look for the crowded car; (4) be aware of your surroundings, move if you need to; (5) make a facial expression that has the “don’t mess with me” look; (6) avoid really late hours if you can; (7) avoid “bad neighborhoods” if you know where they are - you can usually, but not always, pick up cues from how the place looks. If you use the transit system to get to and from the airport, make sure you choose a time to travel when trains are frequent and lots of people are around. For late night/early morning airport runs, take a cab.
• Safer Cities Have Safer Trains And Buses - Roughly speaking, transit crime rate probably correlates fairly well with overall city crime rate in U.S. cities (although, actual hard data is somewhat difficult to obtain or compare). That means, if you’re going to a city with high crime, there will be high crime on the transit system. Cities that are relatively safe are likely to have safer transit systems.
• Try To Get An Idea Of The City’s Transit Riding Population - This is somewhat politically incorrect advice - but perception is reality for some people, so it must be discussed. Some cities, such as New York, London, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C., have transit systems that are well utilized by all socio-economic segments, including the rich and the poor, and people of all races. In other cities, because of the way the city is designed and laid out, the system ends up being utilized overwhelmingly by the minority and poor population who cannot afford private cars. If you’re the type of person who are afraid of situations where you might be the only person of a certain race, then you should really find out if the system in that city is overwhelmingly utilized by minorities. Of course, Tip Dude thinks this shouldn’t stop you from using the system, but you’ll have to decide whether riding a bus in an unfamiliar city really is the best way to become more comfortable with people.
• Don’t Assume That The Technology Is The Same Everywhere - In Boston, one tourist from New Zealand decided to jump onto the train tracks to retrieve some money he had dropped. Unbeknownst to him, the train tracks in the Boston subway are electrified, whereas the train tracks on the railroads in New Zealand are not. He electrocuted himself in front of many passengers at a packed station. On a more subtle point, in certain cities, the trains physically cannot move if someone holds the doors open. This is not true of all cities. So if you’re used to holding doors in your home city, don’t assume that another city’s trains aren’t just going to drag you along the platform if you hold the doors. Of course, they try not to, and Tip Dude thinks you shouldn’t be holding doors anyway. Before you do anything potentially unsafe, think twice.
• Watch Out For Local Ordinances - Eating in trains is forbidden in Singapore, Taipei Rapid in Taiwan, Port Authority trains between New York and New Jersey (PATH), and on the Washington Metro. Eating in trains is permitted in Boston. Playing radio on trains is forbidden in by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Photography is forbidden on PATH. Passing between cars is forbidden in New York, but permitted on Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco. Placing packages on seats is not permitted in New York, but presumed to be permitted in Boston. Placing feet on seats is forbidden on commuter trains in Boston, but may not be in the Boston subway. Loitering in subway stations is expressly forbidden in Boston, but may be permissible in New York and Washington D.C.  You get the picture. No matter what you think of the ordinance, the police guys always seem to have dollar signs in their eyes when they see a tourist eating on a train, or playing radio.
• Study The Fare Structure - Generally, most transit systems offer a one-day pass. Some even offer a tourist pass that lasts anything from 3 days to 7 days. If you’re going to be using the system a lot, it might be cheaper to buy a pass, rather than single trip tickets for every trip you make. While we’re on the topic of fares: generally, not paying the fare is forbidden by law. However, in France, it is a civil right not to pay a transit fare, because it is a form of peaceful protest against poor service (or something like that). On the other hand, in London, not paying transit fare is a civil offense resulting in a fine of not more than ten pounds sterling. In San Diego, on trams in Amsterdam and many other places in Europe, where the proof of payment system is in effect, anyone caught travelling without validating their ticket (i.e. having it timestamped by the machine at the stations prior to boarding a train) is immediately given a hefty fine. However, fare evasion is permitted as long as you are willing to pay the fine when caught. (And yes, they have lots of fare inspectors.) So just make sure you understand if, when riding the transit system, the local ordinance says you must have your ticket stuck to your right foot and place your right foot in the air for the ticket to be valid. Tip Dude is not aware of any transit system that requires the foot-in-the-air maneuver, however.
• Use The Trip Planner Tool - More and more transit systems have a trip planner tool online where you can input the origin and destination and have it calculate the route, schedule, and fares for you. To find it, Google for the transit agency’s website and then follow the links from there. If you do use it from a hotel room computer, be aware that the tool isn’t always foolproof and may send you on routings that do not make sense. So always check with the system map you printed out before leaving. Also check out site like Hop Stop.
• Try To Understand Where You Have to Transfer - Most transit trips involve one or more transfers. Rail to rail transfers are generally easy and safer; rail to bus transfers might not be too bad - but bus-to-bus transfers might take place at a remote intersection of two really wide streets that are impossible to get across, and where there’s an empty lot, an abandoned warehouse, a power plant and a factory on the four corners. These places might not be very safe. So, if you have to make a bus-to-bus transfer, pick places where there is a recognized business district with stores that are open. If you can’t do that, try to pick a major bus station, or make a bus-to-bus transfer at a rail station, which are generally more substantial facilities with lighting and more security features.

What do you watch out for when you’re travelling by transit in an unfamiliar city?

• Top Ten Tips - Traveling In Europe (6)
• Top Ten Tips - Orienting Yourself In A New Neighborhood (0)
• Top Ten Tips - Being A Courteous Host (2)
• Top Ten Tips - Easy Ways To Save (1)
• Top Ten Tips - Eating At A Fancy Restaurant (4)