Chicago Public Transportation compared to other cities (Manhattan, Brooklyn: car rental, rental)

[emathias]

Originally Posted by A-NYCer

Cabs would usually be my last resort. Especially considering I would already be paying for student loans, housing food etc. Ive probably taken a cab in NYC 5 times max in my life.
But I would assume taxi service isn't up to par with the frequency that it is in New York?

I can't speak about taxis in Queens, but I've had much better luck hailing cabs on the street in central and north lakefront Chicago than I ever have in Manhattan. Taxis per capita is higher in Chicago than in New York, and they're somewhat cheaper, too. Even when I was spending a lot of mornings in relatively far-out Logan Square that has less roving cabs, I could hail cabs on the main streets faster than I could call for one.

And Chicago hasn't forced Uber out of business just yet, either.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by A-NYCer

Cabs would usually be my last resort. Especially considering I would already be paying for student loans, housing food etc. Ive probably taken a cab in NYC 5 times max in my life.
But I would assume taxi service isn't up to par with the frequency that it is in New York?

Yeah, but how much less will your rent be in Chicago than in NYC? There's some cab money for you. I'm just saying that occasional cab use isn't the end of the world compared to the costs of going out and the costs (in some cases) of living within easy access to the night spots.

Density of cabs depends greatly on the part of the city, of course, and they're not as overwhelmingly prevalent as in NYC, but I've never had trouble finding one in any kind of bar/restaurant/"going out" district when I needed to get home.

[pvande55]

Public transportation in Chicago can't match New York but is better than most US cities. CTA gets you most places worth going to, including both major airports. There is decent commuter rail to suburbs as well, you may actually go to suburbs on occasion.

[A-NYCer]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Yeah, but how much less will your rent be in Chicago than in NYC? There's some cab money for you. I'm just saying that occasional cab use isn't the end of the world compared to the costs of going out and the costs (in some cases) of living within easy access to the night spots.

Density of cabs depends greatly on the part of the city, of course, and they're not as overwhelmingly prevalent as in NYC, but I've never had trouble finding one in any kind of bar/restaurant/"going out" district when I needed to get home.

Well I currently live at home so I have no rent. My only expenses are student loans, monthly metrocard, path train pass and groceries. Considering I wouldn't have to pay 68 for the path train and a CTA monthly pass is only 86 compared to 104 here in NYC I would be saving a good amount.
Obviously this is assuming I make the same salary when I move, which hopefully shouldn't be an issue as im in IT/tech making 40k now, which is on the low end here in NYC at least.

Thanks for all the info. It seems like I shouldn't have an issue with public transit, but in may other discussions I have read here, many people seem to lean towards the car route and shy away from public transit.
Are there any safety concerns with CTA, in terms of how comfortable would one feel waiting in an empty subway station alone? In NY as dirty and sketchy as most of the stations are, I have never been worried or really scared at any point in the subway system.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by A-NYCer

Thanks for all the info. It seems like I shouldn't have an issue with public transit, but in may other discussions I have read here, many people seem to lean towards the car route and shy away from public transit.

Are there any safety concerns with CTA, in terms of how comfortable would one feel waiting in an empty subway station alone? In NY as dirty and sketchy as most of the stations are, I have never been worried or really scared at any point in the subway system.

Cars are useful in chicago, but it really depends on where you need to go when. If you are working downtown durring office hours(and even more than that depending on where you live) then owning one could be a waste. If working elsewhere then they coud be useful. If living in areas with bad parking again a headache otherwise could be useful.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by A-NYCer

Well I currently live at home so I have no rent. My only expenses are student loans, monthly metrocard, path train pass and groceries. Considering I wouldn't have to pay 68 for the path train and a CTA monthly pass is only 86 compared to 104 here in NYC I would be saving a good amount.
Obviously this is assuming I make the same salary when I move, which hopefully shouldn't be an issue as im in IT/tech making 40k now, which is on the low end here in NYC at least.

Thanks for all the info. It seems like I shouldn't have an issue with public transit, but in may other discussions I have read here, many people seem to lean towards the car route and shy away from public transit.
Are there any safety concerns with CTA, in terms of how comfortable would one feel waiting in an empty subway station alone? In NY as dirty and sketchy as most of the stations are, I have never been worried or really scared at any point in the subway system.

CTA has no more safety concerns than the MTA.

CTA pass will likely be going up to $100 for 2013.

[marothisu]

OP: Why single out the area of Hyde Park? It's an alright area, but if I was a recent college graduate and like to go out, that wouldn't even be close to my first choice. Not only that, but the train (for god knows why) doesn't run directly through Hyde Park.

I don't own a car either. I never have in Chicago and many people don't. It all depends on where you work and whatever, but as there's tons of jobs in the Loop or along the train line, people opt to live within proximity of a train or good bus route. The train system here isn't an extensive as NYC, but not many cities in the world can boast that type of train service. The service here is as good as it gets for the US excluding NYC. The trains can be packed during morning rush hour but if you're used to riding NYC's subways, then it won't be a big deal. They will come every few minutes on the major lines during rush hour too.

Before you mentioned going out, 1 or 2am, or whatever (some bars closed at 3am, 4am, and 5am on weekends here)..Tons of people ride the train who are drinking. It's never even been a thought of mine "oh **** how am I going to get home?" It's easy. Go to the train (unless it's a few lines like the Brown Line which stops at like 2am).

As far as taxis go, they're ****ing everywhere. Seriously I have had easier time getting a taxi here than in NYC. Even at 5am in some areas it's not hard to find a taxi. If you have trouble finding one, then call the taxi company or get a smart phone app to get one.


While it's not NYC, Chicago's transit system is pretty much the next best thing in the US along with DC's and Boston's and there's an absurd amount of cabs here in areas just like in areas of NYC.

[hindukid]

You will see more people her talking about driving mostly because it is often a pretty good option and much more practical than in NYC.

Basically you seem to be comfortable with a one hour public transit in NYC. It will almost never take longer than that here. Its just that in NYC driving isn't really an option because of parking, traffic and car ownership costs and here those are not as big obstacles. But here instead of spending an hour on bus/train you might be able to drive in twenty minutes. Whence a lot more talk about driving.

Having lived in NYC, I would say that public transit is not as good as in Manhattan but its better than it is in Queens. If you are used to getting around Queens by bus you will be pleasantly surprised here.

[rca215]

One thing to keep in mind is where your office is. While there are obviously tons and tons of jobs in the Loop, a lot of the jobs in the Chicago area can be located in the suburbs, which can be a lot tougher to get to via public transportation. I think reverse commute type jobs are much more common in Chicago than in New York, in my experience.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by A-NYCer

Well I currently live at home so I have no rent. My only expenses are student loans, monthly metrocard, path train pass and groceries. Considering I wouldn't have to pay 68 for the path train and a CTA monthly pass is only 86 compared to 104 here in NYC I would be saving a good amount.
Obviously this is assuming I make the same salary when I move, which hopefully shouldn't be an issue as im in IT/tech making 40k now, which is on the low end here in NYC at least.

Thanks for all the info. It seems like I shouldn't have an issue with public transit, but in may other discussions I have read here, many people seem to lean towards the car route and shy away from public transit.
Are there any safety concerns with CTA, in terms of how comfortable would one feel waiting in an empty subway station alone? In NY as dirty and sketchy as most of the stations are, I have never been worried or really scared at any point in the subway system.

People lean towards the car route just because in most of the city it's pretty easy to own a car. Most people think that if it's easy to own one - why not? That certainly doesn't mean you NEED a car. I've been car free for 10 years and finances has nothing to do with that choice. I'd say around 60% of my friends don't have cars. 20% have cars and drive them all the time for work, and the other 20% have a car and might drive on the weekends or a few times a week here and there. The key is just where you live, where you play, and where you work. I live and play on the north side, and I work downtown (along with that entire 60% of my friends without cars). Life for me is MUCH easier without having to mess with a car. My grandma keeps trying to give me one and I keep telling her thanks, but no thanks. She just doesn't understand.

The CTA is perfectly safe and clean enough. You're hardly ever going to be the ONLY person waiting for the train. I honestly just take cabs if it's late at night. They're fairly cheap in Chicago, and I believe there are over 8,000 of them in the city. They mostly roam around downtown and up through the north side of the city. You can fairly easily get one in most areas of the city, but at least downtown and the north side they're going to be EVERYWHERE, and you usually don't have to wait for more than a minute or so to grab one. Especially if you're at an area with a lot of nightlife. It's a $7 cab ride from where I usually go out to my condo. That's not too bad. Maybe a mile and a half.