These are the current 10 best cities for public transportation in the US

In this great American tableau, there exists a multitude of cities, each as diverse and vibrant as the citizens who call them home.

Each city has a flavor, a soul that unfolds not just in the taste of its food or the sound of its music, but in the life that pulses through its streets. And nowhere else is that life more evident than in its public transportation.

Rent.com ranked the top 10 best cities for public transportation in the U.S. based on usage, accessibility, and cost data from ValuePenguin, Citylines.co, and the Census Bureau.

From coast to coast, we scoured the nation and found the cities that make getting from A to B easier than anywhere else.

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The Top US Cities for Excellent Public Transportation

10. Minneapolis

Minneapolis, ah, the city of lakes, where the icy breath of the North meets the industrial charm of the American heartland. A place that defies the expectation that public transportation in the Midwest is a bit of an afterthought.

If you’ve only got a day in Minneapolis and prefer to experience the city like a local, Metro Transit is your best bet. You have two lines of the Light Rail — the Blue and the Green — interweaving through the city’s lifeblood. It’s a smoothly efficient beast, carrying with it a certain rugged charm.

The Blue Line, a.k.a. the Hiawatha Line, connects the downtown area with the Mall of America, meandering through the city like a silver snake. That’s not all, it also makes a pit stop at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Handy, right?

The Green Line will take you on a journey from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul, passing through the University of Minnesota. Students, professionals, tourists, you see them all — a slice of life with every stop.

Now, if you want something a bit more quaint, the Northstar Commuter Rail has a sense of old-world charm. It may be a more limited option, mainly serving the northwestern suburbs and ending in Big Lake, but riding it gives you a glimpse of the slower, quieter side of Minnesota.

Then there’s the bus system. The regular service covers the entire city and then some. The express bus will get you where you’re going faster, cutting through the city’s arteries like a hot knife through butter. But if you’re not in a hurry, the local bus service gives you a more leisurely pace.

Minneapolis, despite its frosty demeanor, has put its heart into creating a public transportation system that works. It’s efficient, yes, but it’s also a window into the soul of the city. You want to know Minneapolis? Ride the bus, take the train, watch the world go by. This city is worth more than a cursory glance: It demands to be experienced, tasted and savored.

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9. Miami

Miami, the pulsating, pastel-clad paradise. A veritable mélange of cultures, cuisines, and yes, a hodgepodge of public transportation options. You’ve got a mix of the typical and the distinctly local. It’s a city that does things its own way, and that ethos extends to the way folks move around en masse.

First up, there’s the Metrorail. It’s a 25-mile, elevated rapid transit system, kind of like a rail stiltwalker striding above the city. It hums and rumbles, slicing through the tropical air from Kendall to Miami International Airport through Downtown. You’ll find yourself amongst a living diorama of humanity — tourists, locals, office workers, and families, each with a story as rich as the Cuban coffee brewing in the cafe on the corner. Is it perfect? Nah. Is it efficient, clean, and air-conditioned? You bet.

Next up, you’ve got the Metrobus. A vast fleet of these contraptions, more than 600, squirming and weaving through Miami-Dade County like shiny, multi-colored snakes. It’s a more granular way to get about town. You can take a deep dive into neighborhoods the Metrorail system might not touch. It’s where you’ll find a front-row seat to the tapestry of cultures making up the Miami mosaic.

Then there’s the Metromover, a cute, electrically powered people-mover system, free of charge, that sweeps through Downtown and Brickell. It’s like something out of a sci-fi movie, only instead of being whisked off to the mothership, you’re getting dropped off at your favorite sushi joint or a Heat game.

Don’t forget the Tri-Rail, a commuter train connecting the dots between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. It’s the spinal cord of South Florida, keeping the metropolitan regions linked and functioning.

But here’s the coolest part — the water taxis. Yes, in a city where water is as much a part of life as the sand and the sun, you can traverse Biscayne Bay by boat. These sea chariots are more than just transportation.

They’re a mini-cruise through the city’s lifeblood, past the sandy beaches, the skyscrapers, the docks stacked with the type of boats you’d buy if your memoirs became best-sellers.

So there you have it — Miami, a city where getting from A to B isn’t just a necessity, it’s an adventure. Just like its food, its people, and its music, the public transportation here is a feast for the senses.

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8. Philadelphia

Philadelphia, where the ghosts of America’s past walk the brick-laid streets, where the cheesesteaks are greasy, robust, and darn near perfect. It’s a city whose heart beats to the rhythm of history, culture, and strength and is tied together by its public transportation.

Each bus, train, and trolley is more than just a vehicle — it’s a chapter in a city-wide story, a page in a never-ending book of urban poetry.

Let’s start with the SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation…