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Have you ever woken up late, grabbed your backpack and run two blocks to catch the 28, the K or the M line? Have you ever attempted to rush off the bus in time to make it to your 1-2 class only to have the door sensors fail you, forcing you to shout, “Back door!” to the reluctant driver? Have you ever wondered if teenagers in other parts of the world have similarly quirky morning commutes? The public transportation systems of Paris, New York, London and Tokyo, though they each consist of trains and tracks, each have their own unique personalities.
Paris:
Boasting the second largest subway system in the world, with 131 miles of track and 380 stations, the Paris Métro system looks like a well-oiled machine on paper. But how good is it in practice?
Apparently, pretty impressive. “Paris is huge and you can get everywhere,” junior Rita Chapot said.
There are three primary modes of public transportation in Paris. The Métro, opened in 1900 and hence one of the oldest in the world, can take you just about anywhere in Paris, from the Eiffel tower to the Louvre. The system’s snappy name originated from one that was quite a mouthful: “Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris” or the Paris Metropolitan Railway Company, which originally operated the subway system. This was shortened to the Metropolitan and later simply the Métro.
In addition to its name, the Métro boasts the most closely-spaced subway stations in the world. “I feel like in New York City or other places you have to seek out the subway, but in Paris there’s always a station really nearby,” said Chapot.
The easy-to-find Métro lacks air conditioning, but they do host a scene different from what you would find on an M or K MUNI car. “When you get on the bus here [San Francisco], everybody’s reading a book or listening to an iPod, and in Paris nobody would listen to their iPods on the train,” Chapot said. "It was really weird, because no one engaged with each other. I guess it was out of courtesy for other people."
The Métro is also praised for its unique architecture. The signs that mark subway stations as “Metropolitain” are credited to architect Hector Guimard and admired for their Art Noveau style, a design and art movement that peaked at the turn of the 20th century. Art Noveau encouraged incorporating art, especially plant inspired motifs, into daily life through furniture and architecture. Some unique stops, such as ones that service the Louvre and the Rodin Museum, offer exhibits in the subway station itself. Others feature unique tiling and murals.
Paris’ public transportation trifecta is completed by the RER, or Reseau Express Regional, an express train, comparable to BART, which connects Paris to its suburbs and surrounding areas, but with fewer lines and less frequent stops than the Métro. A bus system rounds out the public transportation system that allows you to traverse the City of Lights from end to end.
New York:
Every year, more people ride the New York City Subway than all the other rail mass transit systems in the United States combined. This breaks down to five million riders a day, carried through 468 stations and over 656 miles of track. Even under the strain of carrying literally millions of people a day, many transit riders think that New York's subway system ranks above San Francisco's. “It’s more efficient than San Francisco,” said Italian teacher Judy Branzburg. “The trains seem to run more often.”
Your trip begins on your descent down the narrow, gum-covered stairs into the station. Entrances are marked by globe lamps; green for stations open 24-hours-a-day and red for those that are not. You then purchase a MetroCard from a clerk or machine and load it up with bus fare. Each time you ride, your fare is deducted from the card; students who attend schools in New York City receive special student cards that allow them to ride for less. One ride on the subway is $2.25, and you can buy unlimited ride cards similar to MUNI Fast Passes for one, seven, 14 and 30-day increments. A 30-day unlimited ride card clocks in at $89, compared to a $55 MUNI Fast Pass, which offers unlimited rides on MUNI for a month.
Next, you board the subway, which ranges from 8 to 12 cars long and serves 26 different lines. Some lines are local service, meaning they stop at each station, while others are express service. Express service trains run on their own tracks and do not stop at each station. Types of subway cars vary, and due to the winter weather have amenities unexpected by a San Franciscan. “In the winter time they heat up the trains so that you’re almost excited to get on,” junior Gabriel Quintana said.
However, as in San Francisco, serving a high volume of people results in some wear and tear on the cars. “There is a lot of graffiti,” junior Nathan Leber said. Despite the less than ideal cleanliness level, the subway is the ideal way to explore every corner of The Big Apple.
London:
The London Underground, better known as the Tube because of the shape of its tunnels, is one trendsetting subway. Even older than the Métro, opening in 1863, it was the first underground railway section in the world. Beginning in 1890, it was also the first to operate electric trains. Even the Tube map is considered a classic, as the color-coded lines it features have influenced public transportation maps ever since. “The Tube maps are so cool that they print them on t-shirts and mugs,” junior Vianna Newman said.
An underground railway system impressive enough to garner t-shirts must have some impressive statistics backing it up, and indeed the Tube does. It has 270 stations and 250 miles of track to brag about, and in 2007 boasted one billion recorded passenger journeys, making it the third busiest subway in Europe.
One less brag-worthy subject is the temperature inside the poorly ventilated deep tube tunnels, which have reached temperatures of 117 degrees Fahrenheit during heat waves, prompting train signs suggesting that passengers keep cool by carrying bottles of water. Also in the spirit of passenger safety are the announcements provided as you exit the train. “Whenever the doors open a voice in a British accent says 'Mind the gap' because there's a gap between the cars and the platform,” Newman said. In another safety measure, minors under 18 caught breaking the behavior code on the trains can have their transit pass withdrawn.
As long as you can behave yourself, the Tube winds under the streets, letting you avoid the classic London fog from Big Ben to the British Museum.
Tokyo:
Many people regard the Tokyo Subway as the pinnacle of public transportation systems. The world's largest rapid transit system in a single metropolitan area, the trains carry over eight million people a day, almost ten times the population of San Francisco. Needless to say, the cars are a little crowded. “It's really hard to find a seat,” said junior Yves-Olivier Mandereau. “I’ve had to fight for one.” During peak hours, trains become so packed that platform attendants called “oshiya” must physically push people into trains filled to over 200% their capacity. Think about that the next time an L car seems packed.
The Tokyo subway is made up of two transit groups, the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation called Toei, meaning operated by the metropolitan government, and the Tokyo Metro. Toei also operates bus lines, which are used to fill the gaps that the subway doesn't cover, though the city relies primarily on its underground transportation system.
Fare for all the subway systems are linked by the Pasmo system, which utilizes a credit card sized smart ticket that you pre-load with money. In addition to use on the bus, Pasmo cards can be used as electronic currency at participating convenience stores, making them like a limited debit card and bus pass in one. Due to their multiple uses, Pasmo cards can be hard to understand, and the website comes equipped with an 11-page how-to manual detailing any and all questions you could have about the Pasmo system, supplemented by diagrams of pink cartoon robots purchasing tickets and boarding buses.
Despite the incredible volume of people the subway transports, the subway maintains an exacting schedule. “All the trains were really efficient,” Mandereau said. “They have no room for error. Arrival time is down to the second.”
San Francisco:
For those who live in San Francisco, MUNI needs no introduction. Everyone has an opinion on the public transportation system that we utilize and occasionally despise. MUNI boasts 80 routes and stops within two blocks of 90 percent of all city residences. But what is really interesting about MUNI is the relationship citizens of San Francisco have with it.
Some are full of praise for the system. “The fact that you don't need a schedule is a sign of an effective system,” junior Russel Degener said. “You can just show up at your stop and know a bus is going to come soon.” Others speak fondly of the hybrid buses or the NextMuni service that informs you of the ETA of the next bus.
Others criticize MUNI's efficiency. “In a seven-by-seven mile city, it shouldn't take like an hour to get somewhere by bus,” junior Kerina Yao said.
Long wait times, the recent fair hikes, and conditions on the buses also elicit groans from residents. “I dislike how crowded MUNI can be,” senior Maxamillian Hubbard said.
Students even have opinions on their favorite type of MUNI bus. “I like the hybrid buses,” Degener said. “But people don’t know how to use the doors. They tap them and they don’t open right away, and so instead of waiting for them to open, they tap them again.” Others are fans of the buses whose doors automatically open, seemingly by magic, when you step down into the stairwell.
Though San Franciscans complain about MUNI, we all continue to ride the service that carts us up and down the hills of the City by the Bay.
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