The 11 Best Transit Systems in the World

So long as you do't include London a.k.a rip-off-ville ... you will have a respectable list :)

We have a vote for throwing London off the list! Anyone else have a transit to vote down? 

Hi. i live in Asia and I'd like to suggest some pretty good transit systems here in the East.

1) Singapore (MRT)

It's clean, safe and pretty much brings me to most places in the city.

2) Hong Kong (MTR)

Pretty much like the Singapore system in my opinion. Just a little more expensive.

3) Tokyo (Densha and Chikatetsu)

There are stations everywhere! I spent most of my time on the transits when I was backpacking in Tokyo and the Kansai area. Plus they're connected to the Bullet Train systems (Shinkansen). 

San Fran definitely could not make on to the top 11.  There is only one subway route in the city; the buses are slow as hell; and please, don't even mention the muni.  NY is only good if you on the island; forget it if you live in the bronx or Bkln and you are staying out late.  Oh ya, try to wait for a train in the summer in NY in a suit.  Agree with the Asian list - they are better.  Soft porn on Tokyo trains adds immensely to the experience.

Budapest should be on the list, come on peeps in Hungary?  Give me a platform here.  But really it's great..not sure about Rome.

Oh..wait! Vancouver was on the list.  Please throw it off the list...please. #4 best transit system in the world?  No way.

In defence of London:  As the first, one of the longest and the most iconic underground/subway system in the world, The Tube deserves it's place in the top 11. 

In places it's like an old dilapidated colonial hotel where the paint is peeling and the food may suck, but if you listen carefully enough you can still hear the chatter and music hall sounds wafting through from it's heyday in the 1920's. 

Sure, it's not the the best and it is expensive - but 'the best' rarely equates to 'the cheapest' (remember folks, it has to be paid for somehow!) and The Tube's age and scale are unprecedented.  I put it at number 5.

as a collector of subway maps, i feel as though i should weigh in on the issue

ok, first off. BART ain't cheap. after living in the bay area and paying $500 a month to share an attic with two other people....i realize nothing is cheap. also, it stops running at midnight. its hard to enjoy yourself in SF when you have to get back across the bay to berkeley or oakland before midnight.its a pleasant ride, but has its limitations. i havent been on any other U.S. transit systems, except Chicago, which is decent...but far from great.

 i have beef with the title of the artcile. all of the transit systems are in north america...hardly the world.  my favorites are as follows, in order of cleanliness and logic of layout:

1. prague, czech republic (futuristic and cheap)

2. paris, france (subway station mosaics and accordian players)

3. seoul, south korea (speed, sheer number of trains. sometimes sardine-like crowds though)

4. london, england (charm, plus the london subway map innovated all subway map designs to come. so beautiful on a t-shirt, though the system is a bit pricey. but surprise, its london.) 

5. amsterdam, holland (yes, it is a system of above-ground wooden trams, but its damn fun)

6. osaka, japan (scenery, it goes to the airport, but the exits are confusing as hell. one station can have like 20 exits..)

7. barcelona, spain (good layout, dont remember much else about it)

8. munich, germany (covers a good distance, lots of transfer points)

9. Ok, i agree with Kaitlin here. Rome is at the bottom of the list. Smelly, only two lines, slow, crowded, really aggressive passengers. i walked everyday after my first Roman subway ride. When in rome, walk or take the bus.

thanks for reading...

What Makes Good Transit? 

The top 10 list of world transit would include no US transit systems.    I'm not saying this to be snobby, I've worked on building or improving many of them in the US.

However, a good transit system requires four main components:

1. Wayfinding - A city with good transit is impossible to get lost in.  Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Berlin fit this nicely.  There are so many stations all attached to the system, that only minimal wandering is necessary before finding a station and re-orienting yourself.   This is vital especially for Americans who are afraid of the small windy streets of HK or Tokyo.  It is much easier to find your way around there because both cities have ample signage.

2. Coverage - A city with good transit makes it easy to get around without a car or a cab.  This means enough of the city is covered by transit to make its use unavoidable.

3. Comprehesibility - When you look at a subway map, you need to know where you are and where you are going.  For most US systems - which are mostly bus - this is very difficult even for experienced users.  Headways in the US (length of time between buses) are seldom less than 20 minutes.   This means you have long wait times and the need to micromanage your trip goes up.  Transfers become more problematic.  The selection of the perfect succession of buses becomes imperative. This increases your travel time beyond merely the travel - you have to invest time up front to figure out exactly when you need to appear in specific locations to make your trip.  This drastically decreases the usability of the transit system.  In many cities world wide transit is a convenience.  In the US it is a hindrance.

4. Popularity - I have been a transit user in almost every major city in North America.  I can't say any are personally popular with me.  The top of the US for me are:  Portland, Oregon - the Bay Area (only because BART finally goes to the airport) - Boston - Washington DC.  But you can't really call any transit agency popular when our rider marketshare is so universally low.  In Hong Kong, the cleanest place in town in the Subway.   The MTR is clean, safe, efficient, convenient, and indispensible.  It is extremely popular and universally used throughout by people from all income classes.  It's also privately run.  

Ok, there has been some confusion on the Top Transit Systems in the World Article.  Great comments by the way, however, my list is of the the places I have lived and their transit systems (North America), a compliment to the Top 11 Transit Systems in the World list which is linked to in my article, and the reason I posted the story. So in the name of lists here it is: 

1. London

2. Paris

3. Moscow

4. Madrid

5. Tokyo

6. Seol

7. New York City

8. Montreal

9. Beijing

10. Hong Kong

11. Sao Paulo 

Seoul's system is stellar. However, from the old airport one would take a train into the CBD. From Inchon, one takes the bus. I was devastated that, upon my arrival in South Korea, I would nto get to take the Seoul Train...

London's system is really good in terms of coverage, but its Sunday hours and its prices are major downsides. London Underground has basically screwed itself by creating a surveillance system agianst fare-dodgers that's so expensive that fare hikes ultimately had to pay for it. And they better not blame it on the bomb attacks, as it's been that way for about ten years.

Vancouver's system is dreadful. I never take it within the CBD if I have to be anywhere on time. My bike and my shoes are the only reliable sources of transportation in the lower mainland.

Sydney has integrated its outer-suburb train lines into inner-city access, but it's closer to Vancouver than it is to Paris in terms of efficiency and coverage. 

Singapore's MRT rules. The digital readouts display not only train schedules but also "thoughts for the day" in multiple languages.

Vancouver absolutely does not belong on that list.  If anything, Vancouver has one of the world's worst transit systems.  Buses are often so overcrowded that they pass by stops without picking up passengers, travel times are long, stress levels are high, fares are expensive. 

By far the best public transportation network I've experienced has been Tokyo's.  It's clean, safe, punctual, and it goes where you want, when you want.  Even people who own cars take the trains there because they're so efficient.  Fares can be expensive, but most employers reimburse employees for work-related travel, so that offsets users' costs.

Boise, Idaho??????

Honolulu has a good transit system as well, aptly named as 'TheBus' although it does not have any light-rail (yet) it is extremely cheap for an otherwise expensive city ($2.00 for adults). You can literally take the bus from Waikiki Beach to the Airport (40 minute ride) for only $2. Monthly passes are also only $40 a month!

Vancouver certainly does deserve to be on that list compared to other transit systems.  It's a very clean system and in my experience wait times aren't that bad.  Right now I'm in Ottawa under a transit strike over a bus system that wasn't good in the first place.  I certainly crave Vancouver transit right now.

No matter where you go, the best, on places on earth, people will not recongnize how good they have it. Vancouverites have nothing to complain about ... yet!

I am very proud of our Transit services despites some flaws it does belong among the best. Translink, please Keep up the good work.

I liked Paris and Montreal systems too.

Why has no one added Switzerland to this list?

I've read a few of the comments and I agree with some of them.  I've been to most of the places listed but I would have to say Seoul is probably one of the best subway systems in the world.  It's light years ahead of anything in North America.  1.  The subway cars are equal to full size trains(actually designed to move people, and they are not rough and bumpy like in London, New York, Montreal or Toronto etc. 2.  It uses the convenient T-money card which allows hassle free travel.  The fee for adults is 90 cents and 10 cents for every additional 12 km you travel.  (unlike most systems where you pay the same no matter 4 stops or 20.  3.  Everything is bilingual and every stop is announced clearly.  4.  Stations are well built and kept very clean. (Unlike the rest of Seoul, oh well)  Overall I think it's one of the best systems around, and North American transit designers need to open their eyes and build more systems like in Korea.

I forgot to mention that it is now connected to the airport and many new lines are being added so the list should be updated because I'm sure it has past most of those places ranked above it.

Toronto

Toronto?, really?  I live here and we have one of the most inadequate systems in the world.  The head of the transit union even confirmed this himself on T.V.  It's expensive for the service you get, there's only 2 usefull subway lines (the Rapid transit line doesn't work well in winter and the trains are too small for the volume.  The new "Sheppard line consists of 1/2 doezen or so stations, so only services a small number of people) Most of the transit system shuts down at night, so if you work shift work, you better hope your bus isn't one of them.  The system relies too much on surface routes.  If you have to take subway plus a bus or streetcar, you're probably not getting to your destination for 45-60 minutes minimum.  Do Because of my job, I have to take the car because I start work very early and the first train doesn't roll through until almost 6a.m.  Kind of Silly for a city with as many people as Toronto.