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Walking
Walking
The best way to familiarize yourself with a new city is to get out and walk! In Manhattan, the streets run in a grid above 4th Street, so it is easy to navigate this area of the city on foot. You will see many people out on the streets, and often, this can be faster than public transportation if you are going a short distance. Be safe and abide by traffic laws. Jaywalking—walking or crossing the street outside of the designated crosswalk—is illegal, though you may see many people doing it. Be aware that bikers in NY do not necessarily obey the road or pedestrian laws. Remember to look twice before crossing the street as bikers may be approaching from an opposite direction and they often do not stop.
Taxis
Taxis
The official NYC taxis are yellow and marked with a medallion number on the outside of the car as well as inside. These mark the metered cabs that are regulated by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. Available taxis have the number on top of their cars lit up. Those that are not lit are either off duty or already have passengers.
Metered fares can get expensive very quickly. Therefore taxis are not the recommended mode of transportation within the city for your regular transportation needs.
Subway & Buses
Subway & Buses
New York City’s subway and bus system serves all five boroughs of New York. This is the easiest and most economical way of getting around the city. The subway runs 24 hours, though trains and buses run less frequently late at night and during the day in non-rush hours.
The subway system is run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). On their website, you can find useful information about the status of each subway line, as well as subway and bus maps.
When entering the subway stations, you need to be aware of what direction you would like to travel. Trains in Manhattan run Uptown/Queens, Uptown/Bronx, and Downtown/ Brooklyn. In the outer boroughs, the trains run toward the last stop or towards Manhattan. Some subway entrances only allow entrance to one direction so be sure to check before you swipe or tap your cards. The correct entrance might be across the street or, in some cases, around the corner.
You must purchase a MetroCard or use OMNY for both the subway and bus lines.
MetroCards: You can buy MetroCards by using MetroCard ticket machines, which are in most subway stations or at a station booth. Most machines take cash, credit, or debit cards and will notify you before your purchase if a payment option is not available. Those with foreign bank cards should use them as credit and can use 00000 or 99999 as the zip code when prompted to complete the transaction.
There are many options for MetroCards: single ride, pay per ride, unlimited 7-day and unlimited 30-day passes. All MetroCards, except for single rides, can be refilled at any MTA vending machine. A new metro card costs $1.00 and this does not go toward the cost of the fare. There is no student discount for MetroCards. Google Maps and City Mapper are great resources to help you navigate NYC public transportation. The MTA app is useful for tracking alerts such as works on tracks, closure of some stops, etc.
For OMNY: OMNY is the contactless fare payment system for public transportation in the New York region. Simply use your contactless credit or debit card, smartphone, wearable device, or OMNY card to tap and go.
Use a smartphone (with digital wallet enabled), a wearable device (such as a smartwatch), or a contactless credit or debit card to pay your fare at subway turnstiles, AutoGates, and onboard buses (including Select Bus Service). Simply tap one of them on the OMNY reader and you will be charged automatically
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