When I chose to move across the country to Portland, Oregon over seven years ago one of the main reasons was the public transportation system. I didn’t want the hassle or expense of a car and after I moved there I was amazed at how easy, affordable and accessible the system was. Well, Im going to go ahead and say right now that the public transportation system in Santiago de Chile puts Portland to shame!
After a massive overhaul in the system in 2007 public transit in the city now boasts 2.4 million, (yes, million!) riders per day. The combination of bus lines and the intelligently designed layout of the metro makes public transit incredibly easy to get around on. I feel completely free to wander the city and even get a little lost if I want to because Im never too far from a metro stop and once underground I can get to my home with little effort.
Im a transportation nerd. I just find it fascinating; it’s something that almost everyone has to partake in and is often one of the most stressful parts of a person’s day, so to make it as accessible, reliable and easy as possible is a worthwhile goal that helps practically everyone. Because of this fascination, I absolutely love when the buses and metro are packed with people. The efficiency and resource saving capabilities of a highly used public transportation system makes me smile inside, but riding during rush hour is not for the feint of heart! Check out my video of the system during rush hour and see for yourself the awe-inspiring ridership of the Santiago public transportation system.