Why Driving in New York City Might be Better Than Public Transportation
New York City has one of the most well-built transit systems in the United States; it covers all five boroughs with both local and express trains and buses. Plus, the price for a ride on a train or bus is just $2.75 (as of May 2019) with plenty of opportunities along your journey for free transfers. While this seems great for most people, the New York City’s MTA is not without its faults and boy oh boy, does it have faults.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some reasons why you might want to start driving in NYC as opposed to taking public transportation.
Constant MetroCard subway fare increases
Sure, it’s cheaper to use the buses and trains of the MTA, but eventually, that could change. All New Yorkers are aware and hate the fact that prices for a single ride and 30-day cards have gone up a lot over the years. Let’s just take a look back a few years to 2003 when a single-ride was $2, and a 30-day card was $70. In 2005 that changed to $76 for a 30-day MetroCard, $81 in 2008, $104 in 2010 and as of 2015, single rides are $2.75 with 30-day cards being $116.50. Fast forward to just a few days ago in 2019 and the price for a 30-day MetroCard will set you back $127.
It’s pretty evident that the MTA is consistently increasing their prices and by quite a lot. These increases are also happening frequently as every 2-3 years they raise prices again. What makes New Yorkers the most upset about the surges in fare prices? It seems like the MTA’s service has actually gotten worse.
No matter, even with the rising rates of car shares like Uber, Lyft, and Via, dealing with traffic and finding affordable parking through Parking.com can help you remain satisfied.
Train and buses are often delayed
This is a big issue for many New Yorkers. While the MTA’s trains and buses cover a majority of New York City, there are times, mostly during rush hour, where trains and buses are often as late as an hour or more. There are many times when New Yorkers experience three buses showing up at once, then not at all for the next hour. Wouldn’t it be great to be in control of when you get to work? It’s obvious that car owners face traffic on the road, but when you’re in your car, you have control over everything. When you leave, how quiet it is, your music choices and if you know there’s a road with too much traffic, you can take a different route.
Finding parking in NYC can also be a challenge, but Parking.com makes it easier by having over 100 parking garages all over the five boroughs!
Crowded and dirty subway
Partly due to the millions of people who ride the New York City subways every day, the MTA has built up a reputation of being crowded and not well kept. Many New Yorkers have horror stories of something less than ideal that they’ve seen either in the trains or on the subway platforms.
Once again, getting around NYC in your own car would be beneficial because of this. When driving, you won’t have to worry about being overcrowded and you are in control of the cleanliness of the vehicle.
It’s clear that the only advantage that public transportation in NYC has over driving is that it is a more affordable option. Although, with the constant increase in MetroCard fares and the increase in delays, riding with the MTA is becoming less justified.
For those who already own a car and prefer not to drive in the city because of the cutthroat street parking, don’t worry! Parking.com has many convenient locations that will help to make parking a breeze. We not only offer hourly rates, but monthly rates in NYC for a majority of our garages as well.