Best Cities for Public Transportation (job, development, state, better)

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by qworldorder

That's not entirely accurate. Clearly, Chicago and D.C. are above Boston, Philly and SF...just nowhere as big of a gap as NYC to everywhere else.

I don't think that's clear. I think the five metros are pretty close in terms of transit quality, and you could probably defend almost any order of the cities after NYC at #1.

[qworldorder]

Originally Posted by anonelitist

DC doesn't have multiples more taxis than Boston or SF. I think the stat must be confusing taxi drivers with actual taxis? I just looked it up and there is not a medallion system in DC...so I guess it's a free for all? Interesting to see what medallions cost in each city and if pricing is regulated - that can sometimes clue you in to taxi demand. Boston is probably slightly better than SF or DC for hailing, and SF is probably slightly better than DC. Philly has a ways to go, and those cabs are often *old* and take cash only (mirrors its transit that takes token). NYC and Chicago are the best cab cities for sure. SF is by far the best city for Uber/Lyft/Sidecar/about 3 other apps used by residents here, including 2 for cabs alone (in fact one of the cab companies programmed with one of the apps and rebranded to have the same name).

Anyway, cabs are definitely part of public transport.

I've yet to hop in a cab in Philly that is cash only. Cabs, ironically/sadly, are probably the most technically competent of Philly's transportation modes. Pretty much all of them have card readers and they tend to be newer vehicles, actually. If anything, the city I've been in the most with "old" cabs that only take cash is NYC--gypsy cabs are everywhere. And even these guys, the Dominicans, Pakistanis, Bengalis, etc. often have iPhone card readers these days.

[qworldorder]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

NYC does have light rail. It isn't the main mode of rail transit, to be sure, but HBLR + Newark City Subway have strong ridership, and HBLR is being expanded.

And it's fairly high quality light rail, as it's 90% grade separated, with large segments running in subways or on elevated track. It isn't a bus on tracks stopping in traffic like much of the light rail in the U.S.

That's not NYC, technically. If you were going to argue light rail actually IN the five boroughs, your best bet would've been the JFK AirTran, which is a people mover that best 'fits' the light rail tag--and even that technically isn't light rail.

[qworldorder]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

I don't think that's clear. I think the five metros are pretty close in terms of transit quality, and you could probably defend almost any order of the cities after NYC at #1.

You find Boston's system, or SF's system, or Philly's system to be on par with Chicago's? By what metrics?

There's a clear hierarchy here, with NYC obviously way out front. But Chicago and DC have separated themselves enough to be considered 2a, imo. I'm curious to see why you feel Philly could be argued to have the 2nd best public transportation in the country...

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by qworldorder

That's not entirely accurate. Clearly, Chicago and D.C. are above Boston, Philly and SF...just nowhere as big of a gap as NYC to everywhere else. The argument, to keep this rehashed thread alive and entertain our debating skills, is what order is it after NYC? D.C. over Chicago or Chicago over D.C.? Per capita and modernity wise, D.C. is a heavy hitter. But Chicago is bigger and 24/7 on some lines. See the debate now?

Then after that, what's the exact order between the slightly lesser tier of Boston, Philly and SF? Each has significant pluses and minuses. If anything, arguing the tiers after NYC is more fun. NYC is like the Superman of superheroes in this discussion--unbeatable and boring. Give me an Arrow vs Batman type of battle anyday lol.

Those last two sentences are a great way to put it

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

#1 New York City

Pros: Undisputed best transit city in America. Excellent all on all merits.

Cons: Very dirty transit system


#2 Chicago

Pros: Great subway system, commuter rail system, inter-city rail, and bus service, All around great transit that is second only to NYC.

Cons: Poor light rail service


#3 Philadelphia

Pros: Great commuter rail service, intercity service, light rail, and bus service. Best 24/7 transit outside of NYC. Does the most with less despite serious underfunding compared to other major cities.

Cons: Needs more subway lines; somewhat dirty transit system; poor ridership



#4 Washington DC

Pros: Great subway service, inter-city rail, and bus service. Great ridership. Cleanest transit system in the Northeast Corridor

Cons: Mediocre commuter rail service; poor light rail service


#5 Boston

Pros: Great commuter rail service. Good subway service, light rail, and inter-city service. Good ridership

Cons: Transit system feels old and run down compared to other major cities; mediocre bus service; poor late night service.


#6 San Francisco

Pros: Great light rail and bus service. Good inter-city rail service.

Cons: Poor subway service; poor commuter rail service.


#7 Los Angeles

Pros: Best bus service in America. Good commuter rail and light rail system. Very clean transit system.


Cons: Mediocre inter-city rail service; poor subway service; horrible ridership for a city of its size.


#8 Seattle

Pros: Good light rail and bus service. Very clean transit system.

Cons: Mediocre commuter rail and inter-city rail service; poor subway service


#9 Atlanta

Pros: Best subway system in the South. Average bus service.

Cons: Everything else is terrible.

I don't know how you rank Philadelphia above DC, Boston and perhaps even SF. And SEPTA isn't underfunded relative to other systems.

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

Also, to the extent possible, I try to provide sources for the data I quote so that people have some context. Here is the amount and percentage of federal funding for transit systems in different cities.

New York:

Capital costs - $1,140,457,033 (35%)
Operating costs - $0

San Francisco (MUNI):

Capital costs - $117,247,851 (57%)
Operating costs - $17,636,485 (3%)

San Francisco (BART):

Capital costs - $122,583,313 (25%)
Operating costs - $27,329,041 (5%)

Chicago (CTA):

Capital Costs - $183,274,234 (62%)
Operating costs - $13,465,362 (1%)

Washington, DC (WMATA):

Capital costs - $289,211,801 (64%)
Operating costs - $36,310,989 (2%)

Atlanta:

Capital costs - $39,867,753
Operating costs - $63,515,459 (12%)

Philadelphia:

Capital costs - $149,618,163 (47%)
Operating costs - $68,956,947 (5%)

Boston:

Capital costs - $177,687,952 (44%)
Operating costs - $6,042,140 (<1%)

[anonelitist]

Originally Posted by qworldorder

I've yet to hop in a cab in Philly that is cash only. Cabs, ironically/sadly, are probably the most technically competent of Philly's transportation modes. Pretty much all of them have card readers and they tend to be newer vehicles, actually. If anything, the city I've been in the most with "old" cabs that only take cash is NYC--gypsy cabs are everywhere. And even these guys, the Dominicans, Pakistanis, Bengalis, etc. often have iPhone card readers these days.

Maybe I've been unlucky. The last time I was in Philly was last year and the cabs I was able to hail were all of the old crown vic/gypsy cab variety (yes guys have card readers...but tore up seats, a rundown get up, and no customer handled card reader - you must give them your card to scan on their smart phone reader after they complain to you about not having cash). I like how Boston almost achieves a fairly uniform appearance with its cabs (and it appears to me at least to be about the newest fleet), which I like (kind of European in that sense).

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by Gantz

Philly is rolling out smart cards as well. They will go from tokens to smart cards. NYC might be the last out of the big systems to roll out smart cards, because the system is huge and it would take years and half a billion dollars to switch.

Just a point about something I said earlier, haha, smart cards have been in use in Hong Kong for 18 years!!

Originally Posted by ThreeSides

I'm curious: What's the cab situation like in D.C.? I'm not here to debate whether or not cabs are public transport or not. I do consider them a complement to public transport, however. Nor am I trying to bring one city down a notch and elevate another.

I love the ability to flag down a cab and be dropped off in front of my destination.

From my experience DC cabs are easy to catch in certain areas. Uber and Lyft seem to be plentiful and would be more ideal in the less popular pickup locations.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

It's pretty easy to flag a cab in DC in my experience, but that's probably more true in the tourist/convention areas and the airport than anywhere else.

They can be easily flagged down in some of the more denser and busier neighborhoods as well such as DuPont, Adams Morgan, Park View, Logan Circle, Mount Vernon Square, Georgetown, U Street, Shaw, H Street NE/Atlas District, Navy Yard, Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, etc. They are required by law to take you out to the MD or VA suburbs and the far reaches of The City but sometimes they'll grumble and seem reluctant...And if you wanna go to the East of the River neighborhoods in Southeast and Northeast, good luck there lol. Uber drivers however are more than willing to take you anywhere you wanna go, even just mentioning the word 'Anacostia' won't faze them unlike a good number of their DCTC counterparts. The aforementioned were based on my personal experiences with riding DC cabs and Uber btw

Also, a majority of DCTC cabs at this point have the new uniformed red and grey scheme regardless of the different local taxi companies they're affiliated with, the cabs have been following this procedure since 2013 IIRC.

[anonelitist]

Originally Posted by tcave360

Also, a majority of DCTC cabs at this point have the new uniformed red and grey scheme regardless of the different local taxi companies they're affiliated with, the cabs have been following this procedure since 2013 IIRC.

I like that.