Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with publictransit

Oakland to Santa Cruz howto

diode — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:21:11 -0800

I'm flying into Oakland Airport arriving around 3:30. I need to get down to Santa Cruz. What's the best way to get there? I'm flying into the Bay Area on a cheap flight to Oakland Airport. What's the best way to get from Oakland Airport to Santa Cruz given I'm arriving at Oakland around 3:15 PM on Dec. 25th?

Transit 511.org says to take the Bart shuttle to Bart, then to Fremont Bart. Transfer to Santa Clara VTA 181 to San Jose, then VTA 970 to Santa Cruz.

Is there another way to go that's more convenient or faster by public transit?

Best way to plan a timely day trip from Rochester to Toronto?

agentmunroe — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:48:39 -0800

TorontoFilter: I have a ticket to go to this event on Friday, at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. I live in Rochester, NY. What are my options for getting there on time? My original thought was to just drive there and drive back same-day. I'd leave Rochester at about 5AM; Google Maps estimates a 2hr40m drive, and the past few times I've been through Canadian customs it was only a few minutes through. I'm a reasonably capable driver, I have a Garmin with Canadian maps and I enjoy road trips, so this is my natural inclination.

I'm wondering, however, if customs is going to be far worse at "commute-time" (since anyone trying to get to Toronto by 9am will be crossing around the same time), if the traffic is likely to be bad in Toronto (while I've been to Canada a few times recently I haven't been to Toronto in ages), and if my previous plan is a little fool-hardy. If the traffic is going to be gnarly and it's easy/on-time to use public transit or a train, I'd rather just do that then stress over traffic/lanes/turns/parking/etc. Looking at Google Maps, I'm noticing the theatre is only one or two blocks away from both a subway stop and Union station... so I'm wondering if one of these would be advantageous.

Normally I'd totally be up to spending the night in a hotel, but at the moment I'm in-between client checks, and a hotel close to the event is more then I'd like to swing right now - for that reason I'm really looking towards an in-and-out day trip. I suppose a hotel on the outskirts of Toronto or somewhere in-between Toronto and Niagra Falls would be an option too, but I'm not sure where a good place to check would be, so suggestions there would be good.

So, any thoughts? I notice there's a morning train that runs from Niagra Falls to Toronto, which seems reasonable if the train is actually on-time. I assume I could also park somewhere outside the city and take the subway, but I'm not sure how much time that would save. Or am I too worried about Toronto traffic and I'll be fine just driving in?

One-click subway directions from home on Google Maps?

NickDouglas — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:21:20 -0800

How can I get one-click public-transit directions from my home to anywhere on Google Maps? Almost every time I ask Google Maps for directions, I want to take public transit from my home (let's pretend it's 100 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn NY) to the destination. The current workflow for this is:

- Enter "map 555 park ave, ny" or "map fabianes,brooklyn" into Firefox's address bar (since I've assigned the keyword "map" to the Google Maps search form).
- Click the result, then "to here."
- Enter "10" before Google suggests my full address in the dropdown (since I've used it before). Hit down, enter, enter.
- Now I have driving directions. Click "public transit." Done!

How can I compress all of this into one or two steps?

I expect that it's easier to compress a discrete address like 555 Park Ave. than to compress a search like "Sunny's," where there's the extra step of selecting which search result is my desired destination. I'd be satisfied with either a robust solution that starts after I select the destination, or an address-only solution that gives me public transit directions as soon as I type in the right keyword and destination address and hit enter.

Help me get from Chicago to La Crosse, WI!

iliketolaughalot — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:11:47 -0800

I'm most likely going to Clown Camp(!!!) this June in La Crosse, WI. I'd be leaving from Chicago. The best way seems like Amtrak, but I need to be there by 4 and the train doesn't get in until 7. I'll take this back to Chicago, but I need a way to get from Chicago to La Crosse on public transportation. Some options have been a bus from Chicago to Madison and then Madison to La Crosse. I have no familiarity with this area at all. Going on Amtrak the day before is not an option, since I have a wedding the night of the 6 in Chicago! Help please! Also, any tips on clowns/clown camp/clowning/etc. would be appreciated too.

Brooklyn to Newark Int'l on Public Transit, In a Hurry!

Alterscape — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:46:41 -0800

I need to get to Newark Int'l Airport from Brooklyn for a 4:55pm flight out on Sunday night. I'm planning to take the subway to NY Penn Station, then NJTransit to the EWR AirTrain station. I've got the relevant schedules, but how much time do I need to allow for walking and buying various tickets along the way? Specifically:

(1) I'm transiting from the 34th and Penn subway stop to the NJTransit line in Penn Station. I'll have to buy a ticket. If I estimate 20 minutes, am I overestimating or underestimating?

(2) I need to get from the EWR rail station to the terminal via AirTrain. Again, if I estimate 20 minutes, am I overestimating or underestimating?

There must be 50 ways to get around without a car

orange swan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:38:39 -0800

How can I get from Toronto, Ontario to Newmarket, Ontario, this Saturday morning? Two of my best friends from grade school want me to meet them in Newmarket at noon on Saturday for a get together. I haven't seen them since grade school (we've reconnected thanks to Facebook) and would love to see them for some sticker book and doll dressing fun (oops, did I just regress there...).

Slight problem: I can't drive. VIA and Greyhound appear not to have a Newmarket/Toronto route. The GO bus does, but the routes don't operate on weekends. I must be missing some option... how can I get there, short of hitch hiking? I don't like to ask the two of them to meet me somewhere else closer to me, because one's already coming from Orillia and the other is coming from Holland Landing, so Newmarket seems more central. Ideas?

Minneapolis bus transfer two-for-one?

gauchodaspampas — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:53:59 -0800

In Minneapolis, MN, I put my money in the fare slot for the bus, and two transfer tickets came out. Will they both work? I live in Minneapolis, MN. I was getting on the bus, and put my money in the fare slot, and two transfer tickets came out, instead of one. This is a relatively frequent occurance. Sometimes they just get stuck together or the machinery accidentally grabs two somehow, but I've never thought to try giving one to a friend to see if it works. Not that I would necessarily want to cheat the system, but... well yeah, I want to cheat the system. I'm poor and it's rush hour. Will both transfers work? Only one is timestamped and all that. It's not like it accidentally grabbed and processed two transfers. It grabbed two and thought it was one. The tickets used in Minneapolis are just paper cards with a magnetic stripe on them. I guess I've only ever gotten day passes in Chicago, but if I recall, they look basically the same. I don't know what other cities have similar or the same ticket system. The tickets look basically like the one here. On the back, there's a black stripe that looks to be a magnetic strip.

Hurry! Only a few minutes before I need to catch my next bus. Actually, in all likelyhood, I'll have caught it before anyone can provide a definitive answer. If we try using the extra ticket, I'll report back on if it worked or not. And hopefully I won't have any really important questions needing answers in the next month.

SFIO to Redwood City?

version control — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:15:18 -0800

How can I get from the San Francisco Airport to my housing in Redwood City on Saturday night? I've never been to SF before, and am working in Redwood City for the summer for an internship. The provided housing is this place: http://www.goodnite.com/redwood-city/ and the address is 485 Veterans Boulevard. Because I'm going to be there for 12 weeks, I'm going to have a decent amount of luggage- one pretty large suitcase on wheels, a bookbag/carry on, and my purse.

My contact at my job said a while back there might be a possibility that someone from the office could pick me up either at the airport itself or at the caltrain station in Redwood City, but I haven't heard back from him about it since I followed up on that yesterday. I'm getting into the SF airport around 8:30, so I probably won't be leaving until ~9:15

If I can't get a ride, should I take public transit anyway? Since there are multiple transit systems, how should I even try to get there?

Getting from Mountain View to San Jose without Caltrain

epugachev — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:40:17 -0800

If you don't have a car, what's the best way to get from Mountain View to San Jose when Caltrain isn't running? I am staying near the Mountain View Caltrain station on Saturday night. I need to get to Santa Clara and Almaden in San Jose on Sunday morning for the start of this race. The race starts at 8, so I probably want to be there around 7. How should I get there?

Unfortunately, the first southbound Caltrain doesn't leave SF until 8 a.m., so that's out of the question. I have no experience with VTA--is it crazy to rely on it for a trip of that distance at an off hour? Is a cab my best option?

Just take the #295603-B and transfer to the #4195.

gursky — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 17:06:28 -0800

How are the route numbers selected for public transit? As someone who rides the bus to and from school each day, I spend a lot of time standing at bus stops and waiting. A question that I keep coming back to is how the numbers are selected for bus routes.

I realize that it's possible that they are random, or start from 1 and just go in order, but I don't think it's that simple. What leads me to believe there is something more going on, is that sometimes route numbers change (even if the route doesn't change). Also, the transit systems with which I am most familiar (St. Catharines Transit, TTC, and Mississauga Transit) are all missing numbers. This could be that a route once existed but has been cancelled, I suppose. I'm also curious because there are routes like 12A and 12B, but the two routes are very different, so I wonder why they're both route 12s.

I've tried Google and searching MeFi, but nothing came up. Any ideas?

City musicians: How to hoof it with all your equipment?

jake — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 15:41:42 -0800

How do I transport gear between New Jersey and Manhattan using public transit without it being a logistical nightmare? I'm a musician who has just started gigging. I sold my car when I moved near Jersey City. I work in NYC, and like to play shows here, but I have to figure out how to get my setup transported to and from venues with less difficulty, because the $15 Granny Cart I've been using is unwieldy and rickety, and taking it on the PATH train during morning rush hour is hell.

I'd be grateful for any general advice, but I have the following set of parameters I'm trying to work within:

- Interstate taxi rides are undesirable due to expense.
- Asking friends to help (on foot or by car) is possible but I need a solo backup plan because shit happens.
- I don't have access to a shop to build my own custom case, but I could cut some foam inserts if I found a good wheeled case. Optimally, it would fit into a car trunk, and could be taken on a subway or bus.
- I can carry a couple smaller cases instead of just one big one, for example my keyboard in a shoulder gig bag.

Here's everything I need to take along, to give an idea of the space requirements:

49-key MIDI keyboard, Laptop, Nintendo Entertainment System, 4 Gameboys, DMX lighting controller (2' x 3" x 6"), Line6 Pod guitar processor (the kidney bean), Fog machine (2' x 10" x 8"), Laser (1' x 8" x 8"), 4 LED PAR36 light cans, Various cables, cords, and AC adapters, a power strip, and some spare batteries.

Hopefully this weird list won't distract anyone from the question which, in summary, is: What combination of transit and cases would make for the least horrifying trip to and from the city? Anyone with experience doing this?

Help me find a home

wuzandfuzz — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 20:35:51 -0800

Help! My boyfriend and I are moving to LA and need help figuring out where to live neighborhood-wise. It needs to be near a public transit hub and not so far away from USC that I'll kill myself commuting. I'll be attending USC Law and he'll be working...somewhere at a lab. He's in the midst of applying to jobs all over, but it seems we might not know where he'll be working until time is running out to find a decent apartment. He's disabled and can't drive, but could bike a short distance to a public transit hub. We're both in our early 20s so would like an area that's not too stodgy, I guess.

This is my first post, so I apologize for any mistakes.

ringtones that don't annoy

heeeraldo — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 20:49:27 -0800

I'd like a ringtone that wouldn't make you throttle me if you heard it in a public space. After four years with my trusty V60, I've entered the modern phone age with the RAZR V3c (with Telus, not Verizon.) I've also figured out how to get MP3 ringtones onto the phone, so the techy side is all ironed out.
I am, however, looking for a ringtone or chunk of a song that isn't annoying while remaining distinctive, and isn't too bassy (because the speaker in the phone can't hack it). Ideally, it'd be about 20-30 seconds in length and without lyrics.

Getting From NJ to JFK on Strike Day

brownpau — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 08:21:36 -0800

MeFiNewYork, I ask you this. Today, I need to make it from Union, NJ to JFK Airport via public transit. I need to be at JFK by 7pm. I am leaving Union at 1:38pm, taking NJT to Penn Station, and LIRR to the Jamaica-JFK Airtrain. I am doing this with 100 pounds of luggage in a large rolling suitcase about the size of another person. There is a strike going on. Am I doomed? (Addendum: There are no Virginia hams in my luggage this year.)

Commuting to Los Gatos from San Francisco?

hulette — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 15:50:09 -0800

Is there any way of using public transit for commuting to Los Gatos from San Francisco? I'd love to use Caltrain and some sort of shuttlebus combo, but have had a lot of trouble finding the correct combination of services. I've tried mapping the trip using transit.511.org but it doesn't seem to include Los Gatos in it's coverage area. I'll be working down there beginning next week, and would love to avoid driving as much as possible.

Comparitive analysis of Transit worker salaries.

purephase — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:14:05 -0800

Based on the recent contract negotiations for the Toronto Transit Commission (ATU 113) and the nearly averted strike, I was curious as to the average wage paid to other transit employees in countries that offer similar forms of public transit. First off, I grudgingly support the union initiative since I believe public transit is extremely important within any city environment.

However, the average TTC bus driver makes approximately $24.32 an hour. I realize that the importance of a public transit service within a major metropolitan area is paramount (and I use it every single day) however, some of the recent contract stipulations have peaked my curiosity around the supposed under-funding vs. the strangle-hold that the transit union has over the city.

So, I was curious if people knew what the average salary was for union or non-union transit workers in their respective cities and if public transit is an asset in your mode of transportation. If so, how do you feel about fare increases or service reduction in order to meet the union riders during contract negotiations?

Travelling to NYC

ruwan — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 11:35:52 -0800

NYC Travel Filter (Thanks in advance from a confused Californian and NYC newbie) [+] On Sunday morning I'm flying into JFK. I need to get from there to Valhalla, NY (near White Plains). I know I need to take the "Harlem Line" train from somwhere in Manhattan. So what's the best way to get from JFK to Manhattan? I think I need to go to Grand Central Station (is that the same as Penn Station?), and is that where I can catch the Harlem Line train? And how long does the trip from JFK to Grand Central usually take? Will the fact that I'm travelling on a Sunday make any difference? Am I correct in assuming that my return journey should be just reversing all the routes/trains?

How can I get from Brooklyn to JFK airport with two pairs of skis?

alkupe — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 07:02:10 -0800

getting to the airport with skis. i need to go to JFK from my apt in brooklyn with skis. 2 pairs actually, in a hard case. its big. how do i get one of those minivan cabs or something?

Do busses in your country make (give) change?

Danelope — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 22:40:39 -0800

The MetaFilterist's Quarterly Public Transportation Survey:
Do busses in your country make (give) change? Aside from walking, Seattle's Metro Transit has been my chosen mode of travel since I arrived in 2001. During my tenure as a passenger, I have learned The Immutable Truths of Riding:

1. The Bus shall alwayes be ten minutes late but for the tymes ye too are late, in which case The Bus will be early.
2. The Bus shall alwayes be most croweded during the most traffic-laden, sweltering, or rain-soaked tymes.
3. The Bus shall house no less than two insane persons at any given moment.
4. The Bus shall neither make nor give change.

Despite the fundamental trueness of these principles, I have borne witness on countless occasions to someone new to this fair city -- and indeed, this country -- attempting to board the bus with the expectation that the driver will provide them with change. Needless to say, the collision of surly driver and non-native English speaker is an awkward and often unpleasant one.

It is for this reason that I put it to you: Do busses in your country provide change? Is America behind the curve (and, from here, do we turn the corner or stay the course?)