As with any other major city around the world, New York offers its own special pass that gives users unlimited access and rides to various modes of public transportation. Here in the Big Apple, it's the Metro Card. considerably cheap, there are various types you can choose depending on the period of time that you need them. Of course, the longer the span of time the card covers, the more expensive it will probably be. Still, getting a Metro Card is perhaps the most efficient and easiest way to access various New York public transport systems without having to fall in line to buy tickets.
In New York, there are two iconic ways to travel throughout the city. One of them are the yellow taxis. While London has the black taxis, the Big Apple has the iconic yellow hue that's easy to spot from a mile away. Though they're mostly within the Manhattan area, arguably the most cosmopolitan of New York's many areas, you can still see them throughout the rest of the four boroughs of the city. It's important to note that many yellow taxi drivers are immigrants, meaning they might not be that fluent in English. Do your best to communicate with them so that you won't get lost.
The lesser-known taxis in New York are the green boro taxis. They're often found within the Northern Manhattan area, particularly around the streets of East 96th and West 110th. More often than not, they're reserved for specific hires yet they're still allowed to pick up passengers from the streets like the normal yellow taxis. Though don't expect that you can hail it easily. As already mentioned, they're mostly hired so you'd have to use the specific service for this specific taxi system. Very much like using an online ride-hailing app.
While the yellow (and green boro) taxis are the most iconic mode of transportation overground, underground, it's undoubtedly the New York Subway system. You can't say you're a New Yorker until you've actually ridden it at least once. Practically everyone in the city takes it, going from one borough to another within a couple of minutes. Though it can be confusing as the system itself has multiple lines and trains with each respective route. Not to mention that many of the stations within the system are often the target venues for pickpockets and other criminals. Still, it's the easiest and most effective way to travel throughout the city.
Not a lot of people might not know this but the buses you see around New York City are actually environment-friendly. The hybrid buses have been around since the late 90s, operating on electricity to minimize the air pollution in the already very-dense metropolis. Fortunately, a good number of them travel across all five boroughs, so you can still go from one area to another using them. And it doesn't hurt that it's practically the cheapest out of all the modes of public transport in the city. As well as you can use your MetroCard in them too!
The Roosevelt Island Tram is mostly used by tourists to see the city from a different viewpoint but that has never stopped locals from using it as another form of commute. A cable car transports you from Manhattan to Queens, providing a breathtaking bird's eye view of the city at the same time. Around 2 million people ride it every month, more so tourists than locals. It's not exactly the fastest way to get from one place to another but it still gets the job done. And at the very least, you can expect to see fewer crowds here than in the busier buses and subway system.
Biking around New York City is a fairly common commute, more so than you might probably realize. It might seem like they just do it for leisure, but a good many also do it to go to work, get-togethers, and the like. There are even many bike rental businesses scattered throughout the city for those who want to use them. Moreover, New York has various lanes reserved for cyclists and no other vehicle is allowed to go on it. At times, you might even see cyclists ride their bikes on the sidewalks themselves, but this has since been deemed as illegal in recent years.
Finally, there's the Staten Island Ferry. The Hudson River is, after all, still a huge part of New York City. it makes sense that the city makes use of it as another avenue to get people from one place to another. More often than not, it's used for those who want to go to Staten Island, another part of New York with its own bustling areas. Some people who work there live on the mainland and vice versa. However, don't get confused thinking that this ferry will take you to Liberty Island—where the Statue of Liberty is located and Ellis island.— There are different ferries to take you to them.
New York is a busy city mostly because its various public transport systems are effective in helping people travel throughout the five boroughs and Staten Island. Fortunately, even though the city itself is expensive to live in, these systems are more or less affordable.
It will be easier to take these modes of transportation if you stayed in any of New York's luxury apartments as your accommodation. They're worth your time and investment, that's for sure!
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