Public transport can be a lifeline for many reasons. It’s often more affordable than owning and driving a car; it’s more convenient, particularly in congested urban areas; and it’s obviously the most environmentally-conscious way to get around. And while buses, subways, trams and even cycle lanes can get more than a little busy during certain times of day, there’s still no doubt they’re the best, most authentic way to experience a city as a local does.
So which city has the very best public transport network of all? To find out, we asked more than 18,500 city-dwellers in over 50 countries to rate their city’s public transport. The following ranking represents the cities with the highest percentage of locals that would describe the public transport network – including buses, trains, trams and everything in between – as either ‘good’ or ‘amazing’. After all, who better to trust than the people who squeeze onto those morning commutes day in, day out?
This year, Asian cities dominate the list. Some iconic public transport networks, like New York’s sprawling subway and Istanbul’s cross-continental ferries, failed to make the ranks. But from Edinburgh to Abu Dhabi, Brighton to Beijing, plenty of cities did – read on for the best cities in the world for public transport.
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This list was written by Liv Kelly, a writer for Time Out Travel. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
