Public Transit in London

Some of the Best Services in the World!

While discussing public transit options to Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum in a prior newsletter, I mentioned how I have always been extremely envious of the train services in Europe. Our time in London has only reinforced this feeling.

The United States is an awesome country with so much to offer. But, let’s be honest. Our public transit infrastructure absolutely SUCKS!

Outside of New York, Chicago, and Washington DC, you are unlikely to find any reliable public transit options, even in major urban areas. While New York and Chicago have solid infrastructure layouts for their public trains, the trains themselves are notorious for being filthy and occasionally dangerous.

I guess it’s just not our thing. Everyone drives absolutely everywhere. The suburbs of our major cities can sometimes feel like one giant parking lot.

Well, I can confirm that we don’t know what we’re missing! The bountiful offering of trains and buses in London makes the entire city feel not only navigable, but endlessly accessible!

We recently had someone ask us where the best place to stay in London is. The thing is, it almost doesn’t matter where you stay, because you can get anywhere you need to go on public transit!

The city’s transit services are split up into 5 main categories. The underground, the overground, the DLR (Docklands Light Railway), the buses, and the National Rail Services. They all share the same circular symbol, but they are color-coded so you can differentiate them when you see a station.

The underground covers most of the city, but we have found the overground and the DLR to be useful as well when traveling around the outskirts of the central city.

The best part is, you can pay for all of these train services and the buses with the same card! They all take credit cards through tap-and-go payment, or you can also preload money onto an “Oyster” card.

The costs of each trip depends on how many zones you travel through. However, if you are staying within a reasonable radius of the central city, most rides will cost around $3, or 2.20 in GBP. This is incredibly cheap when you factor in the distance you can cover, and the cleanliness/comfort level of the train cars.

The National Rail Services mainly consist of trains that leave the city and go to other parts of England. This makes day trips to other parts of the country extremely easy and comfortable! In fact, Sidney and I are heading south to Brighton today to take in the coastal town, and we will be back before 9pm!

There is a train to just about any corner of England available from London’s many stations, and it creates a wonderfully overwhelming feeling of opportunity. We are also planning to visit Oxford, which will be an easy day trip.

I’m not trying to car-shame anyone. I hope it doesn’t come off that way. Cars provide a level of independence that is hard to beat, and I definitely understand why that appeals to the American lifestyle.

Plus, for a major percentage of the country, it’s not like there are any other options. Cars make perfect sense for people who live in a more rural setting.

But then, we have Los Angeles, Houston, and Atlanta. These cities have some of the worst freeway traffic known to humankind. Quite clearly, it is because their public transportation systems are subpar, and millions upon millions of people have to get around in a car in the same condensed area.

To me, this just seems silly. Apart from being awful for the environment, it is just a huge headache for everyone involved. The quality-of-life increase from a public transit system like London would be earth-shattering if any of these gigantic metropolitan areas could find a way to implement it.

The problem is that the infrastructure never existed, so it would be hard to start now.

For now, I am just elated to be living in a city with such a luxury. The combination of the convenience, cleanliness, reliability, and affordability of these trains is absolutely fantastic, and a welcome addition to our lives!

I am excited to further explore the urban train systems in other European cities and countries. It is simply fascinating to me to see how the public transportation infrastructure on this side of the Atlantic changes the style of life for all of these lucky people over here!