Ever since I moved to a city with a good public transit system, I’ve found the topic fascinating. I’ve spoken to several folks that live in the DC area recently that think the DC Metro sucks. They have a host of complaints that typically boil down to it taking too long to reach your destination (relative to driving) or an inconvenient schedule (departures are not frequent enough or trains don’t run late enough). I have to admit this surprised me. I tend to think the Metro is pretty good! I tend to think Philadelphia’s SEPTA is pretty good too, though it often seems like I’m the only one. Hating on SEPTA is almost as much of a pass time in Philly as is hating on the parking authority. They even made a TV show out of that one!
Opinions of transit systems go beyond personal preference, when you consider the policies of a city that relate in some way to its transit system. The way cities grow and develop are shaped by transit, and vice versa. A lot is at stake when designing transit-related policy.
So I’m curious. What are your thoughts on the Metro, or SEPTA, or whatever system you have experience with? What do they do right, and what could be done better?
520 Chestnut 
I like Clemson’s CAT bus system, but DETEST Columbia’s bus system (& not because i’m biased). Clemson found a way to run the bus lines out to several neighboring towns on either a half-hourly or hourly basis…with good timing…nice, clean, big seats and isles…and “for free” so to speak. Columbia’s tries, but it doesn’t go enough places, needs help with cleanliness, has a fee involved, and isn’t self sufficient, so it’s almost always being cut back or threatened to be terminated all together.
On another note, I LOOOOVE Chicago’s system. They have the subway AND buses that spider-web out from the center of town to almost everywhere. They have a great way of paying for tickets/fare, and have discounts for frequent riders for lack of a better way to describe it. (Remember, i’m just a small town girl, so I don’t know the jargon and descriptions as much as I should. Oh for shame.) Everything is timely, and the hours of operation are looooong, so as to not strand anyone anywhere.
Anyway, none of this sounded intelligent, but I was just putting in my two cents for what it’s worth. I’m so used to having NO PUBLIC TRANSIT in most of the areas i’ve lived….even seeing a taxi is like “Huuuh??? Where did THAT come from?” so i’m easily swept away by things most people would take for granted.
I don’t typically bother with the public transit at Penn State because I have a parking spot near campus and my bike for everything else. Also, like you, I’m not used to public transit so I tend to just walk places if I don’t bike there or drive there. Recently, however, I have needed to use a crutch while my foot recovers from a running injury and this has forced me to start looking into the transit system and it’s pretty cool. Buses comes frequently and there is a stop right outside my lab door and my apartment door. I’ve even considered getting rid of my parking spot and just using the bus system. The only thing keeping me from doing it is that the monthly bus pass is a little more per month than my parking spot and the bus stops running fairly early. I’m still thinking about it though, because I really hate driving!
As for major cities, I love the public transit system in DC and Philly. In both cases, I find it quick, convenient and easy to navigate. I also have a lot of experience with the system in NY which I generally like, but it’s creepy sometimes and never clean which makes me uncomfortable. Of the three, I would consider DC my favorite because the subway stations are fairly large, well populated, and clean. I would feel safe taking that transit system alone (which is important to me).