Tag: Public Transportation

Puerto Rico: Transportation tips

Transportation guide to Puerto Rico

To enjoy the beauty of Puerto Rico and get just where you want, you need to know some information about the Island’s transportation, this guarantee that you’ll take full advantage of every minute you stay in the “Isla del Encanto”. One of the main advantages of the island is that everything is very close since Puerto Rico is only 100 miles long and 35 miles wide you can travel by car from west to east in 3 hours or less depending on the traffic and the hour of the day. In a small plane or helicopter just takes minutes to get to your destination. The transportation service of Puerto Rico offers public transportation, taxis, rental, private, and air transportation.

The local public transportation is a very budget friendly option that is composed by bus, urban train, trolleys, and ferries. If your travel destination is San Juan this is the best option. When you arrive to the airport you are just minutes from the very popular destinations like the Old San Juan, Isla Verde, and the Condado. You can easily get to your hotel or resort by taxi, but this will cost you from 7 to 19 dollars, or set up a shuttle service that are offered by some resorts and save some money. The public transportation is great to get you to the Old San Juan and back to your hotel in the Condado or Isla Verde areas. You can use the trolleys if you don’t want to walk too much in the Old San Juan or just to get a different view of the history filled old city. The (AMA) Metropolitan Authority of Autobuses stations are accessible and well located and identified as “Parada” or “Paradas de Guaguas”. Both services the trolleys are available from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm, the bus starts early in the morning from 4.30 am.

Is very easy to move around San Juan and have a great time with all the attractions that it has to offer. If you want to move outside San Juan the urban train is a good option that offers 16 stations across the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamon and Guaynabo. If you want to go farther from the metropolitan area of San Juan the transportation is not the same. The public transportation in most of the Island outside the metropolitan area is not available after 4:00 pm. Most municipalities in Puerto Rico offers trolley services to get a great tour of the city areas. The usual options to travel from the metro area to the south, west and north, are taxis, or car rentals. But if you make plans and set up a tour you can save a lot of money in taxi

Getting Around Barcelona

The airport is 13 km southwest of central Barcelona; to get into town visitors can take a taxi or ride either the train or bus. Taxis are readily available outside any of the airport’s three terminals. The ride into Barcelona is about 20-30 minute and will cost at least 15 euro (by law, the fare must be displayed on the cab’s meter).

Trains are a less expensive option and also easy to come by, since the airport is connected to a train station. The airport station connects to four Barcelona stations Barcelona Sants, Placa Catalunya, Arc de Triomf and Clot-Arago, with trains running every thirty minutes from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Less expensive still are buses. A bus servicing central Barcelona leaves the airport every fifteen minutes and deposits riders at the Plaza Cataluna. The service, which runs from each of the airport’s three main terminals, is available daily from 6 am to midnight and takes approximately 30 minutes. The bus costs 3.30 euro.

Getting Around Town

Once you have arrived at your guest accommodations in Barcelona, you will find that the fastest and most affordable way of getting around town is via public transportation.

Barcelona’s metro runs daily from 5 am to midnight, and until 2 am on weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) and holidays. A network of five different color-coded lines covers nearly ever neighborhood within the city of Barcelona. A one-way fare costs 1 euro, and discounts are available for multiple-trip tickets. Tickets are checked before boarding.

For those traveling a bit farther out, consider Barcelona’s suburban train service, the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya or FGC. The FGC offers two lines within Barcelona and four additional lines traveling to nearby towns. Trains run daily from 5:45 am until midnight, and until 2:15 am on Fridays and Saturdays. Like the subway, the fare on the suburban train service is (approximately) 1 euro and tickets are checked with each ride.

Another option is the city bus. Barcelona has an extensive bus network with over seventy lines. While slightly slower at rush hour, the bus in Barcelona is a great way to see the city and get to your destination. The fare is only 1 euro per one-way trip.

Black and yellow taxis are ubiquitous in Barcelona. While they are the most comfortable way to get around, they are also the most expensive. Fares depend on distance and time of day (higher rates are charged during rush hour). By law, the cab drive must display the fare on a meter inside the cab. A more environmentally friendly and fun mode of transportation is bike riding. There a number of rental spots throughout the city.

Finally, visitors can rent a car while in Barcelona. If you are flying into the city, your best bet is to pick up your car at the El Prat de Llobregat Airport, which has a host of international rental companies. Hiring fees vary depending on the type of car, time of year (summer is high season in Barcelona) and the length of rental period.

The advantages of having public transportation available

Buses, trains, & trolleys

Public Transportation-That’s what we all need. We need, buses, trains, trolleys, etc. We need something to get us around besides our cars. Especially now that the gasoline is so high.

All big cities should automatically have transportation for their people. I am originally from San Francisco so I know how important public transportation can be. I never had to drive a car when I lived there because the streetcars and buses were so reliable and comfortable and on time. And the fare was fair.

Just remember, many people are just too old to drive anymore and how are they supposed to get around? Many people are handicapped and would really enjoy public transportation. Many people just don’t want to drive their car everyday. Many people want to conserve on gas so they would enjoy public transportation-be it, buses, trains, a trolley, or some other form of transportation.

I know public transportation is expensive, but it should be considered at least for every large town.

There are too many cars on the road and we really need that public transportation.

Now, there are too many accidents because of the heavy traffic and think of all the casualties of those accidents. Think of how busy the hospitals are kept just to take care of the people in car accidents. Think of all the agony those accidents cause families. And worst of all, think of all the deaths from car accidents because of heavy traffic.

We really need public transportation.

With buses, trains, trolleys on the streets of our cities we could begin to save money by having less accidents because less cars automatically translates into less accidents.

With public transportation people would be better able to go to and from their jobs.

People would be able to keep their appointments without the problem of fighting the traffic and parking and all the trouble that goes with driving yourself.

The ability to be able to hop on a bus, train, or trolley is not always available in some cities. And it should be. It should be a way of life for everyone living in a sizable city. It shouldn’t be a luxury, it should be a necessity.

Maybe, we have to get it on the ballot in our cities, if we are to get public transportation. The people are going to have to demand it.

I don’t know how it’s going to be paid for, but it’s a must and everyone must put their efforts into solving this big public transportation problem.

Taxes always come up whenever this subject comes up. Well maybe taxes are the answer. We pay taxes for a lot of things we don’t even want, why not for public transportation? Don’t think I approve of higher taxes but I’m just mentioning it because of the urgency of the problem.We have to do something. If not taxes then what?

If we all think hard enough, I’m sure we could get the transportation we need.. I’m sure there are a lot of programs out there in all the cities that could be cut down or out to make way for the buses, trains, and trolleys.

And now with the high price of gas, this is something we desperately need.

We need to stop spending money on unimportant things and take care of the needs of the people.

If we try hard enough I’m sure we can do it. We can get public transportation for the big cities. I know we can do it.