Quite possibly relocating to Texas: which city has better public transport?

[Jeohnny]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Dallas is not low rent anymore (median 1 bedroom rent is about $1200/mo + bills) and you have to work very hard to get your apartment and job on public transit routes. If you work downtown, it's easy (except for the fact there aren't any grocery stores downtown....). If you work at any number of major job centers that aren't connected to any public transit (i.e., Legacy HQ corridor in Plano), it's an impossible request. You can focus your job search along DART lines but if you're not in a really broad field, it might take a long time to get the stars to align here.

There will be a grocery store coming on field and cedar springs next year that's close enough to downtown

[L210]

I rode the bus in San Antonio for a couple of decades. It's okay if you choose the right location. It's kind of impossible for San Antonio to have a good bus system due to the layout of the city. When I had to get to a job that was 20 minutes away by car, I had to take three buses, and the trip took two hours.

[ragnarkar]

Originally Posted by Jeohnny

There will be a grocery store coming on field and cedar springs next year that's close enough to downtown

Or just use Instacart

[Watchful]

I haven't lived in them, but mid-size cities with at least a minimum level of public bus service are also a consideration as long as they also offer Uber. Like maybe Lubbock, Tyler, or Bryan-College Station.

The bus service may not be great but cobbling together transit plus Uber can be workable. In addition, the Uber rides will not add up nearly as quickly because you are not trying to cover such large distances across sprawling metro areas.

DISCLAIMER: I am an Uber driver in a mid-size metro in another state and see people do this all the time as they handle jobs by combining public transportation and Uber - one of my customers takes the bus to within a mile of his employer and then just tacks on an inexpensive Uber ride from the closest bus stop. Another customer normally rides the bus but on very cold mornings will spring for an Uber ride. It is not cheap cheap but you need to compare it to the actual cost of vehicle operation - not just the cost of gasoline but the 50+ cents per mile that is the real cost of owning and operating and insuring a vehicle. If you do that, all of a sudden it is at least an option.

[Watchful]

I'd also add that it is those of us who rely on our vehicles nearly 100% of the time that say it is inconceivable to do without those vehicles, but there are plenty of people who find a way to do it.

[Marv95]

Interesting thread as Houston is one of my 3 cities to move to by 2018(after Vegas and Phoenix). I will also need to rely on transit for the time being till I get my license and have cash saved up.

I've been to Dallas and as far as the total package of mass transit nothing in the state comes close: several light rail lines, 2 commuter rails and a plethora of buses, as well as a streetcar. But it ain't low rent. So your choices are Houston and San Antonio. Houston is the more extensive out of the 2 as it also has a light rail and you can find some apts that are cheaper than Dallas; just make sure it's in an okay area. Just try to live near a bus route that runs 7 days a week, or a light rail line, though it'll be more expensive to rent I reckon.
http://www.ridemetro.org/MetroPDFs/S...System-Map.pdf

[NCN]

Originally Posted by ClaraC

I hope the OP saw my earlier posting that San Antonio has decent public transportation. If you're willing to live within and work in the downtown area.

We parked our car and did not get back in it until we started home the first time we visited San Antonio. We were on Dwyer Avenue. Second time we were on the Riverwalk and took the water taxi. Bus system was strange that it did not let you off at the same place you boarded. I am sure you would get used to that.