NYC Public Transportation

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New York City Guide

You don't have to be a native New Yorker to act like one—not if you use our New York City Guide. Want to seamlessly travel between neighborhoods, find the city's best pizza or learn insider tips on hotels or permanent housing? Our New York City Web Guide points you to the Big Apple’s vast array of fun activities: Visit New York’s most famous attractions, see a show, catch the big game, attend a gallery opening, spot a celebrity and much more. We also offer a Spanish-language version of the Guide.

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NYC Public Transportation

New York City has a fantastic public transportation system, run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Millions of people use the subways, buses and ferries to get to work each day. In addition, tourists find public New York City transit a quick and cheap way to navigate New York's many sites. The sites in this section help make your New York City public transportation experience easy, interesting and as odor-free as possible.

Insights for NYC Public Transportation

The MTA often does most of its maintenance and repair late at night or on weekends, which means that some subway lines may skip stops or not be running at all. Check mta.info for service changes.

If you are going to be riding New York City public transportation twice a day or more (such as to and from work) buying an unlimited MetroCard is an economical way to go. MetroCards can be purchased at almost any subway station.

Buses only take exact (coin) change or a swipe from your MetroCard.

Traveling late at night? Be prepared to wait for New York City public transportation. Subways run less frequently and with different routes late at night. If you take the bus, however, you can ask the driver to let you off at any point along the route (not just at designated stops), if that will make your walk home easier.

New York City has a number of express buses that run between boroughs. These buses are a speedier alternative to a regular bus but are operated by a party other than the MTA and won’t take your MetroCard.

The Staten Island ferry is free. This is a fantastic way to get a great view of the city (including the Statue of Liberty), visit Staten Island, or catch a Staten Island Yankees game. Visit the New York City Department of Transportation for more information and schedules.

Only a handful of subway stations are wheelchair accessible but the buses are all “kneeling” (meaning they get lower to the ground to let passengers enter with ease) and have wheelchair lifts. Access-A-Ride provides transportation for people with disabilities; visit the Web site to learn more.

Top Sites for NYC Public Transportation

For a subway or bus map …

The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Web site has all of the subway, bus and Staten Island Railway maps you could ever need.

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For information about individual subway lines …

The NYPIRG Straphangers’ Campaign was founded by the New York Public Interest Research Group in the late 1970s to serve as a voice for subway and bus riders. The group presents a yearly report card on the state of the subways, including ratings for all trains and best and worst lines.

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For the hungry or thirsty subway rider …

New York On Tap is a map of the New York City bar scene overlaid onto a subway map. That makes planning a pub crawl and getting home safely a cinch. Double click the map on an area of interest to see what it offers.

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For history and info about the MTA …

The MTA Web site is home to the New York Transit Museum, located in an abandoned subway stop. Learn how and when to visit the museum—or even have a birthday party here.

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NYFamily published an article in December 2008 covering the New York Transit Museum. The article describes the many family-friendly exhibits, as well as the history of this interesting museum.

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Nycsubway.org is devoted to all things subway/train. Whether you’re navigating the subway system in New York or just a train buff, this site has all sorts of links to subway and train sites with lots of pictures, history and even subway models and merchandise.

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Who knew?

Gawker has compiled all of the unusual (and unpleasant) smells of each subway stop and put them together in this handy smell map.

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