Transit "Résumé"
When on the road, using "other" transit systems is a great way to get around. It's also an ideal medium to see a city, know its people and learn its vibe. All of those things are true even for people who aren't transit geeks.
I, of course, am a transit geek! When visiting another city, I don't settle for "easy" rides on high-profile lines. Rather, I go out of my way to ride obscure routes. I'll wake up extra-early to position myself for rush hour action – riding the 7Y from the Pentagon is a different experience than taking the Yellow Line. I'll stay out extra-late to watch special overnight routes come alive – the 300 Blue Night has its own character apart from the Bloor-Danforth Subway.
When riding, I closely observe key operational details. They usually use NovaBuses on the 7 and 8... Wow – the majority of Metrorail riders seem to transfer from Tri-Rail. Whoa, this is vehicle number 4220 – the newest bus in the fleet! This piece pulled out of Fallbrook and into Buffalo Bayou – wonder how that affects the pay. To me, these are fascinating fine-points as well as "study material" for an ongoing eduction.
In my travels, I've managed to use about 80 unique transit systems. I have listed them here in order of "seniority". I probably forgot to include a few. Additionally, I have given one route from each system as an example of what I've ridden. Thanks to a quick NTD query for helping to compile this list (that explains the ID numbers with each US listing).
| Transit System | First Ride | Sample Route | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5141 | Detroit Transportation Corporation | 1987 | People Mover |
| Toronto Transit Commission | 1989 | 24 | |
| 3030 | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) | 1992 | J1 |
| 5066 | Chicago Transit Authority | 1993 | 125 |
| 5033 | Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid) | 1994 | 13 |
| 5036 | Capital Area Transportation Authority | 1994 | 9 |
| 5031 | Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation | 1994 | 805 |
| 5119 | City of Detroit Department of Transportation | 1994 | 60 |
| 9008 | Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus | 1995 | 10 |
| 9154 | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) | 1995 | 260 |
| 9026 | San Diego Metropolitan Transit System | 1996 | 11 |
| 9030 | North County Transit District | 1996 | 444 |
| 5040 | Ann Arbor Transportation Authority | 1996 | 20 |
| 9016 | Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District | 1997 | 20 |
| 9032 | City of Phoenix Public Transit Department/Valley Metro | 1997 | 17 |
| 9172 | City of Tempe Transit Division/Valley Metro | 1997 | 56 |
| 9136 | Regional Public Transportation Authority/Valley Metro | 1997 | 72 |
| 9003 | San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) | 1997 | Richmond-Fremont |
| 9015 | San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) | 1997 | 16X |
| OC Transpo | 1998 | 64 | |
| Transit Windsor | 1998 | 1C | |
| 2008 | MTA New York City Transit | 1998 | B68 |
| Mississauga Transit | 1998 | 20 | |
| GO Transit | 1999 | Yonge C | |
| 3022 | Port Authority of Allegheny County | 1999 | 47D |
| 3034 | Maryland Transit Administration | 1999 | MARC |
| 5015 | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority | 1999 | 6 |
| 3019 | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | 2000 | 23 |
| 3051 | Montgomery County Transit (Ride-On) | 2000 | 15 |
| 5158 | University of Michigan Parking and Transportation Services | 2000 | Bursley-Baits |
| 9014 | Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) | 2000 | 40 |
| 9009 | San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) | 2000 | KX |
| 3068 | Fairfax Connector | 2001 | 310 |
| 0001 | King County Metro | 2001 | 255 |
| 0040 | Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) | 2001 | 535 |
| 0008 | Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) | 2001 | 14 |
| 2075 | Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) | 2001 | Lindenwold |
| 4019 | Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky | 2001 | 1 |
| 5012 | Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (Metro) | 2001 | 25X |
| 5022 | Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority | 2001 | 2 |
| 5104 | Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District | 2001 | South Shore |
| 5113 | Pace - Suburban Bus Division | 2001 | 250 |
| BC Transit - Victoria | 2001 | 4 | |
| SkyTrain | 2001 | SkyTrain | |
| 2080 | New Jersey Transit Corporation | 2002 | Morris & Essex |
| 2098 | Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation | 2002 | PATH |
| 5005 | Madison Metro Transit System | 2003 | 2 |
| 5008 | Milwaukee County Transit System | 2003 | 15 |
| 1003 | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | 2004 | 71 |
| Societé de Transport de Montréal | 2004 | 80 | |
| Réseau de Transport de Longueuil | 2004 | 45 | |
| 4008 | Charlotte Area Transit System | 2005 | 40X |
| 5016 | Central Ohio Transit Authority | 2005 | 2 |
| 6007 | Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) | 2005 | 1 |
| 6008 | Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (Metro) | 2005 | 202 |
| 6032 | New Orleans Regional Transit Authority | 2005 | 11 |
| 6048 | Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority | 2005 | 21 |
| 6056 | Dallas Area Rapid Transit | 2005 | 451 |
| 9039 | Culver City Municipal Bus Lines (Culver CityBus) | 2006 | 1 |
| 5017 | Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority | 2006 | 22 |
| 7019 | University of Iowa (Cambus) | 2006 | Pentacrest |
| 8006 | Denver Regional Transportation District | 2006 | 122X |
| 9045 | Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada | 2006 | 202 |
| 9146 | Foothill Transit | 2006 | 480 |
| 2188 | MTA Bus Company | 2007 | Q25 |
| 3080 | Arlington Transit | 2007 | art42 |
| York Region Transit | 2007 | viva Yellow | |
| 0005 | Everett Transit | 2008 | 8 |
| 0029 | Snohomish County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (Community Transit) | 2008 | 131 |
| 4034 | Miami-Dade Transit | 2008 | A |
| 4077 | South Florida Regional Transportation Authority | 2008 | Tri-Rail |
| 9020 | Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District | 2009 | 12X |
| 5027 | Metro Transit / Metropolitan Council | 2009 | 554 |
| 9035 | Gold Coast Transit | 2010 | 6 |
| 9164 | Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority | 2010 | Coastal Express |
| 9019 | Sacramento Regional Transit District | 2011 | 87 |
| 9023 | Long Beach Transit | 2011 | B |
| 7006 | Bi-State Development Agency (St Louis) | 2011 | Metrolink |
| 0007 | Lane Transit District | 2012 | emX |
| 8001 | Utah Transit Authority | 2012 | 213 |
| 4022 | Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | 2013 | 155 |
| 4004 | Nashville MTA | 2013 | 3 |
| 2078 | MTA Metro-North Railroad | 2013 | Hudson |
| 2076 | Westchester County Bee-Line System | 2013 | 13 |
| 1056 | CT Transit - Stamford | 2013 | I-Bus |
| 7005 | Kansas City Area Transportation Authority | 2013 | 47 |
I have something to say about most of these systems. My reviews are mostly positive – or at least constructive. Care to discuss operational details? The journey continues!
Thanks for visiting Freshwater Railway
