What small/ medium US city has the best transit

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Orlando, Florida bus map

[Brickell]

Portland, OR by far.

[Aporkalypse]

It WAS New Orleans. The buses were good but they had a first class trolley system that was becoming less of a tourist attraction and more of a working public transport system. It was always packed, largely with nontourists, and they were always expanding it.

[matt99]

It depends on how you would define small/medium.

Overall, I would definately say Seattle; I found getting around Seattle quite a breeze both times I was there, between the buses, the bus tunnel, the trolley, and the monorail. However, now that the bus tunnel is closing in 2 weeks, this all could change.

If we're talking about cities that are smaller than Seattle, I would have to say (out of the cities I've been to) that it would be a tie between Portland, OR and Newark, NJ. Unkown to many, Newark, NJ (pop. 275,000) has a small yet efficient light rail system, as well as an intricate bus system and heavy rail linking it with Manhattan. Portland, on the other hand, has an amazing light rail system bringing residents of all parts of the city and suburbs into downtown, as well as the streetcar to circulate people once in downtown.

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Seatle is too big to count.

[mcheiss]

I'll have to side with Portland on this one.

[Garris]

I'll throw in another Portland vote...

- Garris

Providence, RI

[Andersonville]

From personal experience, I'd say Madison, WI has a very comprehensive system:

Madison Metro Map

[teshadoh]

I'll say New Orleans, b/c I'm going to assume the streetcar system & bus system will be back in operation soon. My preference for New Orleans isn't just the streetcars, but the bus routes are easy to follow & operate on a good time table.

But Portland should really get my vote - mostly for just being a leader in light rail & supporting transit options.

[bobliocatt]

New Orleans, Portland and Salt Lake City.

[NCB]

The buses are running again in New Orleans, and the streetcars should be up in some areas soon as well.

My vote goes to New Orleans because of the well designed and well layed-out transit system. But Portland is definately very high with its LRT system.

[Aessotariq]

I'm so glad to hear N.O.'s system has started up again. Any idea how many buses were lost due to the flooding and how many were spared? That's a lot of capital to replace...

[NCB]

^I havent been able to find any info on loss of busses, but here is the link to NORTA's site, they have updates on new bus line openings.

NORTA

[mcheiss]

New Orleanes and Portland have the best transits I have ever been on.

[SouthJersey7]

It depends on how you would define small/medium.

Overall, I would definately say Seattle; I found getting around Seattle quite a breeze both times I was there, between the buses, the bus tunnel, the trolley, and the monorail. However, now that the bus tunnel is closing in 2 weeks, this all could change.

If we're talking about cities that are smaller than Seattle, I would have to say (out of the cities I've been to) that it would be a tie between Portland, OR and Newark, NJ. Unkown to many, Newark, NJ (pop. 275,000) has a small yet efficient light rail system, as well as an intricate bus system and heavy rail linking it with Manhattan. Portland, on the other hand, has an amazing light rail system bringing residents of all parts of the city and suburbs into downtown, as well as the streetcar to circulate people once in downtown.

I was gonna say Jersey City. They frequently rank right behind Manhattan in % of commutes by transit.

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Best small/ medium city with buses only?

Best small/ medium city with buses and lightrail or trains or subway?

[superNOVA]

Grand Rapids is making a run at the best with buses catagory. Ridership has grown 20%+ every year for the last decade. We have a truely regional system. We have also won numerous awards for our transit system.

Better yet, the local powers actually seems somewhat dedicated to building mass transit before the area gets too large. Something that too few cities seem to have done.

[Randy@Tacoma]

I must say the city that wins the award for "The best medium sized city without mass transit" is Spokane, Washington. Ten years ago it was a dumpy agricultural town serving the wheat fields of Eastern Washington. Today it is a bustling metropolis with 200,00 people proper and 600,00 in the metro area. Their bus system has been totally been reconfigured and technology has advanced.

I'm gonna say that the best medium sized city with mass transit is Tacoma, Washington. We just recently opened a light rail starter line that runs 2 miles in Downtown and is fare-free. This light rail line is really the backbone of the Downtown revitalization. Again (only worse off then Spokane), Tacoma was a dumpy a rather smelly city (hence the local term "Tacoma Aroma"). Crime was amongst the highest in The Pacific Northwest and no one ever thought of coming here, let alone living here. Now we boast the fastest growing population in The State of Washington here in the Tacoma Area and have closed down the pulp mills that were producing the infamous aroma. Condos are going up in Downtown along with a new Convention Center, Hotels, Museums, and some interesting historic renovation is taking place. Tacoma is now the Place to Be!!!

[krobins6]

Portland, OR by far.

I wholeheartedly agree.

[lammius]

I think Newark and Jersey City are both good choices.

Newark popn 273,000

PATH Subway

Newark City Subway

NJ TRANSIT Commuter rail (5 lines pass through Newark Penn Station or Broad Street Station)

Newark is the hub for most of NJ TRANSIT's North Jersey bus operations

Jersey City popn. 240,000

PATH Subway

Hudson-Bergen Light Rail & West End Ave Branch

Immediately adjacent to Hoboken Terminal (6 commuter rail lines)

Lots of local and NYC express buses

Ferries to Manhattan

Both cities are very dense and walkable. It is easy to live in either without a car!

[Mgyeldell]

I'll say New Orleans, b/c I'm going to assume the streetcar system & bus system will be back in operation soon. My preference for New Orleans isn't just the streetcars, but the bus routes are easy to follow & operate on a good time table.

But Portland should really get my vote - mostly for just being a leader in light rail & supporting transit options.

Charlotte is the best city to have a bus service it goes every where the buses are on time and all you have to do is steer clear of the CTC in downtown and you will be all right. also if you catch a bus in downtown you could ride it for free if the driver forgot you were on the bus and with then new light rail it will be even better