USA Transit 3 cities
Three very different American systems: San Francisco's BART and cable cars, the Los Angeles Metro that most visitors never realise exists, and the New York subway that never stops.
San Francisco — BART & cable cars
BART under the bay, the N Judah out to Ocean Beach and the last hand-operated cable cars on earth — SFO to Berkeley in one animated sweep. Press play and tap any station.
Interactive map · USALos Angeles — the Metro
The A, B, C, D, E and K lines rolling from Hollywood to Santa Monica, Long Beach and LAX — the new LA, no car required. Press play and tap any station.
Interactive map · USANew York — the Subway
The great trunk lines of the 24-hour subway — Harlem to Coney Island, Grand Central to Flushing — animated with trains running. Press play and tap any station.
Interactive map · USAHow to ride
The full written guide for each city — fares, the interchanges that matter, rides worth planning around, and local etiquette. Tap a city to open its guide.
San Francisco — BART, Muni & the cable cars
One card runs the whole Bay Area: get a Clipper card (or just use the one in your phone wallet) and tap it on BART, Muni and the ferries alike. BART is the regional metro — tap in and out, fares are by distance — while Muni is San Francisco’s own network of streetcars and buses at a flat fare. The cable cars are Muni too, but with their own premium fare — and worth every cent once, gripping the running board as Hyde Street tips over toward Alcatraz.
What it costs (indicative)
| Ride | Typical fare | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| BART around downtown | ~$2.50–4 | By distance; tap in and out with Clipper |
| BART SFO → downtown | ~$11 | About 30 minutes on the Yellow line — skip the $70 cab |
| Muni Metro ride | ~$2.85 | Flat fare, transfers included for 2 hours |
| Cable car | ~$8 flat | Covered by a 1-day Muni visitor pass if you’ll ride twice |
The interchanges that matter
- Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell & Civic Center — the four Market Street stations where BART and the Muni Metro share the same stops, one above the other.
- Powell — step off BART straight onto the cable-car turntable at Powell & Market.
- MacArthur — where the Yellow and Red lines split for Walnut Creek or Berkeley.
- Bay Fair — where the Green and Blue lines part for San José or Dublin.
Rides worth planning around
- The Powell–Hyde cable car — board at the Powell turntable early (the queue builds by mid-morning) and ride over Nob Hill to Fisherman’s Wharf.
- The N Judah to Ocean Beach — through the Sunset to Golden Gate Park’s museums and the Pacific.
- The Red line to Downtown Berkeley — the campanile, Telegraph Avenue and the original gourmet ghetto.
- The Yellow line under the bay — the Transbay Tube dive to Oakland is half the fun; get off at Lake Merritt or 19th St for Uptown.
- 24th St Mission — murals, burritos and Dolores Park up the hill.
Etiquette & tickets
- No food or drink on BART — it’s enforced, and the trains are cleaner for it.
- On cable cars, hold on — and stay clear of the gripman’s levers; he needs the swing room.
- Tap the same card in and out on BART or you’ll pay the maximum fare.
- Muni lets you board by any door — just tap the reader as you step on.
Los Angeles — Metro Rail
Yes, LA has trains — six rail lines and counting, and they go where visitors actually go: under Hollywood Boulevard, out to the Santa Monica sand, down to Long Beach and (at last) to LAX. Get a TAP card from any station machine or add one to your phone wallet, and enjoy one of America’s cheapest fares: $1.75 flat with two hours of free transfers, capped at $5 a day no matter how much you ride.
What it costs (indicative)
| Ride | Typical fare | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Any Metro ride | $1.75 | Flat fare; transfers free for 2 hours with TAP |
| A day of riding | $5 cap | Fare capping — you’re never charged past the cap |
| A week of riding | $18 cap | Kicks in automatically on the same TAP card |
The interchanges that matter
- 7th St/Metro Center — downtown’s hub, where the A, B, D and E lines all meet.
- Union Station — the beautiful 1939 terminal: A, B and D lines plus Amtrak, Metrolink and the FlyAway airport bus.
- Expo/Crenshaw — step between the E and the K.
- Willowbrook/Rosa Parks — the A–C transfer.
- LAX/Metro Transit Center — the C and K lines’ airport gateway, with a shuttle (soon the people mover) to the terminals.
Rides worth planning around
- The B line to Hollywood/Highland — surface right at the Walk of Fame and the Dolby; one more stop for the Universal Studios shuttle.
- The E line end to end — East LA to the Santa Monica pier in about 50 minutes; ride it into the sunset.
- The A line south — Watts Towers and the Long Beach waterfront; or north to Old Pasadena on the world’s longest light-rail line.
- Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill — pop out beside Disney Hall and The Broad.
- Little Tokyo and Mariachi Plaza — two of the best food stops on any US metro.
Etiquette & tickets
- Tap every time you board, even on a free transfer — that’s how the cap works (and what fare inspectors check).
- Trains run roughly 5am–midnight; check last trains for a late Hollywood night.
- Let riders off first, offer the fold-down seats, and keep bikes to the marked doors.
- Stand to the right on escalators — Angelenos walk the left.
New York — the Subway
The subway is New York’s bloodstream: 24 hours a day, every day, for a flat $2.90. There’s nothing to buy — just tap a contactless card or your phone (OMNY) at the turnstile, and after enough rides in a week the rest are free. The one skill worth learning: express vs local. Trains sharing a color skip different stops — check the letter or number, and the little signs on the platform, before the doors close.
What it costs (indicative)
| Ride | Typical fare | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Any subway ride | $2.90 | Tap in with OMNY; free transfers between lines |
| A heavy week | ~$34 cap | After ~12 taps Mon–Sun on the same card, rides are free |
| AirTrain JFK | $8.50 | Connects at Howard Beach (A) or Jamaica (E/LIRR) |
The interchanges that matter
- Times Sq–42 St — the busiest station in America; a warren linking the 1/2/3, 7, N/Q/R/W and A/C/E.
- Grand Central–42 St — the 4/5/6 and 7, plus Metro-North under the famous ceiling.
- Union Sq–14 St — 4/5/6, N/Q/R/W and L in one place.
- Fulton St — downtown’s hub, beside the Oculus and the 9/11 Memorial.
- Atlantic Av–Barclays Ctr — Brooklyn’s junction, with the LIRR to the beaches.
Rides worth planning around
- The 1 to South Ferry — then the free Staten Island Ferry straight past the Statue of Liberty.
- The Q or N over the Manhattan Bridge — the skyline and Brooklyn Bridge from the train window.
- The 7 to Flushing — the city’s biggest Chinatown, via the momo carts of Jackson Heights.
- The D, F, N or Q to Coney Island — the Cyclone, the boardwalk and Nathan’s hot dogs.
- The A to the Rockaways — surf beaches by subway in summer; AirTrain to JFK at Howard Beach.
- 86 St for the Met, 81 St for the dinosaurs — a museum on each side of Central Park.
Etiquette & tickets
- Let people off first, then move into the middle of the car — and take the backpack off.
- An empty car at rush hour is empty for a reason.
- Weekend service changes are a New York institution — glance at the MTA app before you ride.
- Tap the same card or phone every time so the weekly cap counts your rides.