I've commuted to work or school by metro in a few cities. I find them all to be different.
In Hong Kong, people keep to themselves, so the MTR is usually quiet, and so are buses. It can be quite crowded at all hours of the day though. If you're fortunate enough to live on the KCR line (East Rail), you can upgrade to 1st class and then it's not so crowded. The upgrade is 2x the standard fare. Don't underestimate how much money you spend on metro in HK, it adds up.
London is similar to HK, except the tube is smaller than MTR trains. Also the tube stations are usually cold and (together with the New York subway) are practically the definition of sensory overload. People keep to themselves though. If you're fortunate enough to use the DLR, those trains are cleaner, more spacious, and all-around better than the tube.
In Glasgow, the only thing to watch out for on the trains and buses are neds (the Scottish equivalent of hooligans). Other than that, the trains are large, comfortable, and spacious. There are rarely large crowds (as is the case for London and HK), so you can usually find a seat (except on the Argyle line at rush hour). The trains south of the Clyde are older stock and can be a wee bit antiquated. Generally, this was my favorite place to commute (as long as I didn't have to go anywhere past Cambuslang, or God forbid, to Motherwell).
New York was probably the worst metro system I've ever commuted on. Apart from being the grimiest and dirtiest, it's also the most outdated technologically and the trains are horribly uncomfortable. The seating on most trains is also an awkward mix of longitudinal and latitudinal rows, so you're sure to have a sneezing or chip-eating person in your face if you're seated. If you travel at rush hour, the train is packed and smelly. I'm all for mixing cultures, but it seems like people bring too much of their home culture to New York. It may be OK in some countries to slurp instant noodles on a crowded train, but have a little bit of decency, please.
Austin (TX) now has a train. I haven't taken it, but I used to commute on the buses. It's one of the few cities where I never felt crowded or dirty on public transportation, the other being Seattle (although some routes are sketchy in both cities). When I lived in Austin, the buses were still on the old metro card system. Those were amazingly convenient to buy and cheap. Although perhaps not as convenient as the Octopus card (HK). People on the bus in Austin and Seattle keep to themselves for the most part, but I've had some good conversations with other passengers. Once in Seattle, I taught a guy how to tie a tie on the bus. He was going to a job interview.
Honolulu's public transportation, also known as TheBus, is one of the better bus systems that I've commuted on (the Egged lines in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also fit in this category). TheBus and Egged have predictable routes, and drivers will warn you if they reached your stop (worlds apart from the HK mini bus). This is very nice if you have an early morning schedule and tend to fall asleep on the bus, as I do. TheBus is relatively expensive though, but to be fair, what's not expensive in Hawaii?
Everywhere else, I drove to school/work.
Also worth mentioning, the New York metro will often have beggars or buskers board the train. This can be quite awkward at off-peak hours, when you're one of the only people on. In London, they usually stay near the escalators in the station. I've never seen this happen in Hong Kong or Glasgow. This can happen in major cities in China though (HK aside).
02 Apr 2015, 8:51 pm
