Home » Emigration Guides » USA » Travel And Leisure » Cost Of Local Travel In America

The United States has one of the world’s worst mentalities when it comes to public transportation. In America, the automobile rules. As a result, other forms of mass transport have had to take a back seat to highways and cars. Conspiracy theorists love to talk about Big Oil squashing light rail plans and subways back in the early 1900s. But the end result is the same, unless you’re staying in the heart of a major city you will absolutely need a car to get around.

The cost of petrol in America is in the middle range. It isn’t as high as in the UK or Europe but is much more expensive than in nations like Indonesia where it is subsidised. As of 2012, the average cost of a gallon of unleaded gas in America is just over the US$3 level. This is the main expense for drivers in the United States, followed by car insurance, which can add up quite a bit per year if you are a new driver or have had road accidents.

In America’s major cities like New York, Boston and Washington, DC the subway is a useful way to get around the downtown core. In New York City, for example, a single ride fare is US$2.50. But there are better savings with multiple-day metro cards, where the amount of travel is unlimited within a set period of time. Of course, residents of big cities can buy even better travel passes that make the cost of a trip on the metro very reasonable. Considering the hassle and cost of parking and driving in cities like New York and Boston, the subway is a good choice to save time and energy.

There are also good metro systems in San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Philadelphia. The single trip fares in all of these cities are between US$1.25 and US$2.50. For all other larger cities in the United States, visitors can expect to find a well-established and efficient public bus system. Bus stops are clearly marked and the routes do a decent job of covering both the downtown core and surrounding perimeter of the city. Public bus fares tend to be very cheap, rarely over US$1 per trip, and unlimited use passes are common options.

Since there is very little light rail in the United States, the only other local transport option in larger cities is the metered taxi. This, of course, is the most expensive mode of local transport and is rarely available outside of larger cities. In New York City, for example, taxi fares begin at US$2.50 to simply get in the cab then add up US$0.40 per one-fifth of a mile. It can easily cost US$10 to go a few blocks.

In smaller towns around the country there may be a public bus system and even a small taxi company, but little else. America’s small towns are where the car is the primary source of transport. Even the smallest town usually has a car hire firm available for rentals.