Briefly about the main thing
The vast territory of the United States, the diversity of its landscapes, changing climatic zones - all this necessitates a developed transport system, convenience and comfort of movement on the territory of the state.
And indeed, American roads are the world standard of quality, an unbreakable standard and a true romance of travel. It is not for nothing that the genre of "road movie" was born in America, that is, "road movie". Famous highways and their intersections, a comfortable rhythm of trips, a developed network of gas stations and motels, convenient parking and cafes on the way - all this gives the motorist a real pleasure from the journey. The total length of highways in the USA is the largest in the world and exceeds 6 million km, and the number of expressways is more than 75,000 km. Traffic jams? Definitely. As in any major cities in the world, this problem is very urgent in the states, and the authorities are constantly taking measures to improve the road infrastructure.
At the intersection of the most important highways of the United States, large transport hubs have formed, the largest of which is definitely Chicago. These are also the port cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Houston on the Atlantic coast and Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco on the Pacific coast.
The car is the main way of transportation for Americans. The rights of citizens of the country are officially issued at the age of 16, and from the age of 15 the car can be driven in the presence of an adult passenger. This is due to the fact that in most localities of America, the public transport system is poorly developed, and moving from point A to point B requires its own vehicles. If in Russia an adult who does not know how to drive a car is rather a given, then in the USA it is definitely a rarity and a reason for surprise. So if you are planning a trip to America outside of major cities, then do not forget to take your driver's license with you.
In the USA, there is right-hand traffic, and each state of the country has its own road rules. It is better to study them in advance, since they may differ markedly from European standards.
Air travel
Domestic air travel is one of the most common ways to travel long and medium distances in the United States. Even small cities have airports that carry out several domestic and international flights per day. In total, 50 states in America account for more than 14,000 airports. For comparison, only 254 air harbors are located on the territory of our homeland. For Americans, flights by plane are quite commonplace: tickets can be purchased quickly and inexpensively, and often it is the plane that is the cheapest and most convenient means of travel between cities and states. The flight can cost only $ 15 and last literally from a few minutes to several hours.
Railway transportation
When you think about American trains, you immediately imagine the times of the Gold Rush and bearded gold diggers shooting bison from the train cars. In fact, although the development of America's rail network has progressed markedly since those historical times, the number of roads and their popularity have greatly declined since the 1920s. Then the total length of the railway tracks exceeded a record 370,000 km! Today, the American railway is still one of the longest in the world, about 250,000 km, but at the same time, the USA is not the country where it is customary to travel by train. In America, this type of transport is noticeably inferior to such widespread air and road transport.
Cheap and fast air travel and convenient planning of automobile routes do not play into the hands of traveling by rail, although there are certainly convenient routes that attract passengers. These include the so-called "California Corridor" (San Diego-Los Angeles-San Francisco), "Northern Corridor" (Washington-Philadelphia-New York-Boston), as well as a branch crossing the continent on the route New York-Washington-Memphis-Dallas-Albuquerque-Phoenix-Los Angeles.
Today, there is a trend in America towards the return of the use of rail transport, including in view of the congestion of highways and airports.
The main rail carriers of the USA are Amtrak, National Rail Pass and West Rail Pass. In the west of America, double-decker Superliner cars mainly run, seated, coupe, etc. In the east of the country, due to the large number of tunnels, single-deck Amfleet trains mainly run. A trip from Washington to New York in a sitting car will cost at least $ 100, and in the reserved seat the price will already be $ 200-300. Tourists who are not US citizens can purchase an unlimited travel card for 15, 30 or 45 days. However, this Rail Pass does not guarantee the availability of seats on the route of interest, so you need to book them in advance.US Public Transport
The United States of America, as an advanced Western state, certainly has a developed public transport system. Which, however, has its own characteristic features. First of all, it is that public transport is the prerogative of large cities. Of course, the metro, as well as a developed network of bus routes, is available in all the leading megacities of the country: New York, Washington, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and many others. And, if here, in order to get to the office quickly, you just need to "dive into the subway" or wait for the right bus flight at a stop, then, for example, in a remote suburb somewhere in Alabama, a personal car will definitely serve these purposes.
Bus service
Bus is the second most important type of land transport after private cars. Each of us remembers the famous yellow school buses from American films, which arrive exactly on schedule and promptly take students to school. In general, the bus transportation system is well developed in the United States and is popular with citizens. Again, we are mainly talking about large cities and regional centers. In the province, people still drive private cars.
The largest carrier and the actual monopolist of bus transportation in the USA is the company Greyhound, whose flights connect all major cities and tourist sites in the USA and Canada. It is the oldest bus company in America, founded in 1914 by Swedish immigrant Carl Eric Wickman.
In terms of transportation volumes, buses in the United States are much superior to trains. Buses running between the states are equipped with air conditioning, comfortable seats, toilets, as well as a spacious luggage compartment. City buses are a modern form of transport, including suitable for comfortable travel for the disabled. Long-distance bus tickets are quite expensive, but if you travel on working days and book a ticket about five days before the date of the trip, its price may decrease by 25-40%. The average fare from New York to Washington, excluding promotions and discounts, is $55, Chicago-Houston is $120-140. Tourists can also purchase travel tickets Discovery pass for seven, 15, 30 and 60 days. The cost is from $283 to $645. Such a ticket allows an unlimited number of trips on any routes, including Canada and Mexico. In city buses, the fare is paid to the driver and costs about $2.5.
Trolleybus service is carried out only in five US cities: Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Dayton.
Metro
The New York City Subway is the largest underground transportation system in the world. It is he who can be considered as the standard of the "subway" of the USA. For passenger transportation, the New York subway uses more than 1,000 km of tracks, there are 472 stations and 25 routes in total. Geographically, the metro covers four districts of the city. Transportation is carried out by the MTA company, which also serves other types of public urban and suburban transport. There is also an "additional" subway connecting downtown New York, Manhattan, with nearby New Jersey cities. In America, the subway is called "subway", subway, although about 40% of trains run on the ground. The peculiarity of the New York subway is that the routes here are divided into "high-speed", when the train stops only at the most important stations, and local (with all stops). The cost of one trip is $2.7. A monthly pass will cost just over $100. Since 2003, the Airtrain line has been operating in the Big Apple, serving the New York Airport. Kennedy.
In Staten Island, the only area (borough)In New York, where the subway does not operate, there is a 24-hour passenger intra-city railway line, which, like other types of urban public transport, is operated by the MTA company. The road consists of a single line running along the eastern and southeastern shores of Staten Island. To transfer to this line from the subway, as a rule, a free ferry is used, the southern terminal of which is combined with the northern terminal of the railway, St. George station, and the northern one is located in Manhattan near the Whitehall Street-South Ferry interchange.
The youngest subway lines in the USA are the Washington and Atlanta. And more recently, the metro opened in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Taxi
Taxi is a very popular type of travel in the USA, and, as in other countries of the world, there are several options to make a trip. Yellow cars run on the streets of large cities, which do not need to be ordered in advance and which will be taken by the meter to the desired destination. In less densely populated areas, taxis will have to be called by phone or ordered through modern applications like UBER, which are exactly as popular in America as anywhere else in the world. Payment for services is made in cash or by credit card. Most of the cars are popular Visa, Mastercard, American Express cards. The fare is set for each fraction of a mile or minute by minute, large luggage, animals are carried for additional funds, loading assistance is provided, night trips, etc. As a rule, taxi drivers do not keep large amounts of money with them, so it is better to prepare the change in advance. On average, the cheapest taxi ride costs around $7.
Car rental
A car is the main means of transportation in the USA, and it can be easily rented upon arrival in the country. As in other countries of the world, both international rental companies and private ones operate here.
Major network companies are Enterprise, Alamo, Thrifty, Budget, Avis, Hertz, Dollar and National Car. Private – are located locally, have their own tariffs, a fleet of cars and often do not have their own website, so you need to negotiate a rental on the spot. As a rule, rental services from famous brands turn out to be more expensive: so, if renting an economy class car from them will cost $30-40 per day, then renting a similar brand in a local company can cost $15-20.
Sea transportation
In total, there are more than 40,000 km of shipping lanes – straits between lakes, rivers and channels on the territory of the United States. Interesting fact: American ports are located not only by the ocean, but also on the shores of the Great Lakes, which are also called the "Third Seashore". The largest US ports are located in New York and New Orleans. Ferries, pleasure boats and transatlantic liners depart from major city ports, promising an interesting sea voyage.
Maritime communication in America is not a very popular mode of transport, unlike the XVIII-XIX centuries. At the same time, passenger sea routes connect the USA with most Western European countries, as well as with Africa, Australia and the Far East.
In general, especially with careful planning, a trip to the USA can become very comfortable and very budget-friendly. The main thing is to choose the style of travel and modes of transport by booking all tickets in advance, familiarizing yourself with the routes and rules. And it doesn't matter: it will be a leisurely minivan ride to the main attractions or a fast business trip in major cities, a romantic ferry ride or a convenient flight from state to state - the roads of America definitely have something to offer their passengers.
Portal HomesOverseas.ru thanks Kristina Menschikova (Advex Corporation. Real Estate») for help in preparing the article.
photocredits: flickr
