3 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Public Transport When You Travel

Before Covid came around and decided to ruin everyone’s collective existence for a little while, tourists had a pretty good thing going known as Public Transport. I know that a lot of you who travel just occasionally are looking at me, clutching your pearls going “Oh I couldn’t possibly!”

It’s scary, right? You’re afraid of getting lost, not paying the right amount, not getting off at the right stop, getting yelled at by the bus people, and altogether that just seems like it’s not worth the hassle.

Trust me. It is. Here’s why.

#1. You won’t bankrupt yourself.

When my cousins went to England for the first time, they took Black Cabs everywhere. I can only assume they are now financially destitute.

Many cities have buses, subways, and bicycle rentals readily available for your use. These are all much cheaper and greener options than taking a taxi everywhere. If you’re still unsure, this is the way I think about it:

Am I willing to pay for my impatience?

There are some instances when I am. If I don’t trust the public transportation to get me to my tour bus pick up in the morning, or if I’m feeling unsafe, need to leave immediately, and there is a cab readily available, then yes. I will absolutely pay for my impatience. Almost any other time, probably not.

#2. You can see other things you might want to explore.

You know those red hop on and hop off bus tours which seemingly each major European city has? Those are awesome! Love those. Tad expensive but totally worth it. That said, public transport can do more or less the same thing, sans tour of course. If you see something you like, you know it’s on a specific bus route, and you can look it up later to see what it is. You can also zone out and sight see from the bus.

#3. It will make you more self-reliant.

Being self reliant is one of the necessary skills for travel. Plan your routes in your hotel/hostel the night before, take screenshots of them in case your internet dies, and you’ll be good to go. Not only will this method make you more self-reliant, it will also help your time management skills. You’ll learn very quickly the minimum amount of time you need to get read in the morning, especially when your tour is halfway across the city and it leaves at 7am!

I do have one stipulation for all of this though. These skills and reasons I have for using public transportation were developed and engrained into me before Covid-19 reared it’s ugly head, and so it must also be said:

While I am a travel blog, I do not advocate nor do I encourage you to travel at this time.

If you feel uncomfortable about using public transportation due to Covid that’s completely natural, especially if your city has a high number of cases. That said you may need to use public transportation to get to your job, or to get around a city which you are visiting because you are an essential worker, or caring for a loved one.

If you do use public transportation make sure you adhere to their guidelines, wear a mask, carry hand-sanitiser and use it frequently, and respect social distancing guidelines by sitting at least six feet away from the nearest person if you’re able.

If you need any more information about Covid you can find it here, at the websites for the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the Government of Canada. If you are looking for a spokesperson to give you a realistic report on the situation and give accurate advice on how best to protect yourself I suggest looking up the latest interviews by Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Wash your hands, stay at home if you can, and stay safe gentle readers.