Tag: Public Transportation

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Are Panama's Red Devil Buses Now a Thing of the Past?

April 23, 2013 at 10:46 AM | by | Comments (0)

Panama City, though less visited and talked about than its neighbor to the north, San Jose, is by no means an outdated place. For evidence of that, simply look for the skyscrapers shooting up in high-end nabes like Punta Pacifica, the new promenade being constructed along the coast, as well as the recent arrival of big name hotels (Trump, Hard Rock, Waldorf-Astoria).

But there's one part of the city that has remained a glaring anomaly in the city's tireless campaign to bring itself into the 21st century: los diablos rojos. Translated literally as "red devils," these are second-hand schoolbuses that careen around the city, decorated vividly with cartoon characters and graffiti-style imagery, offering cheap rides to anyone brave enough to flag one down. Needless to say, these bad boys were hard to miss.

The only problem was they weren't the safest way to get around. Drivers were often more worried about what songs were playing on the radio, or how to fill their dashboard with as many dolls, statues, and toys as possible, than what was actually happening on the road.

For years, the city fought to put an end to the red devils—against the wishes of locals, who enjoyed the festive vibes on their morning commute (not to mention the 25¢ ticket price!). Again and again, the government would announce an expiration date for the red devils, and again and again, they would fail to do away with them.

But as of last month, it appears the lawless jalopies have been put to rest once and for all.

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New York City's Subway Station Maps Finally Enter the 21st Century

March 26, 2013 at 11:47 AM | by | Comments (0)

For tourists and locals traveling below the streets of New York City, there’s a new way to get around the massive subway system. The traditional subway map is getting an upgrade, and that means they’ll finally replace some of those printed ones that have long been missing information due to too many people running their fingers along popular routes.

Digital maps have already invaded some subway stops, like Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center stop over in Brooklyn, but now the the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is planning to hook up stops with at least 77 more touchscreen "On the Go!" panels.

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New Taxis for New York City to Make That Airport Ride Even Smoother

September 26, 2012 at 10:53 AM | by | Comments (0)

We knew that New York City had their eyes on a new design and model for their ubiquitous taxis, but now it looks like the plan is finally considered official.

Last week, the Taxi and Limousine commission approved the Nissan NV200 as the city’s new go to mode of transportation. It’s not going to be an instant upgrade for drivers and passengers, as the plan is to phase in around 13,000 of the new vehicles as older cabs are up for repair, replacement, and retirement.

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Rapid Transit Finally Goes All the Way to MIA

July 23, 2012 at 9:12 AM | by | Comments (0)

If you’ve ever flown into Miami you probably noticed that there’s kind of a lack of decent public transportation to and from the city’s core. Sure there’s those Deco Bikes, but that’s probably not a realistic option—not to mention they’re not even offered at the airport. There are some bus possibilities, but let’s be honest, that’s kind of lacking when compared to other cities around the country and the world.

However, it’s all about to change as of next week, because on July 28 a new public transportation link is finally arriving at the airport. The construction cones and jersey barriers are coming down, because Orange Line Metrorail service to the Miami International Airport Metrorail Station is almost complete. Basically this means that passengers can now be whisked right into downtown Miami without the need for rental cars, shuttle busses, or taxis. Best of all, it should only take you 15 to 20 minutes, and it’s only $2 per person per way. That’s definitely a deal when compared to other cities.

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Collect Them All: Spotting Low-Cost Airline Ads in Italy

Where: Italy
June 7, 2012 at 9:37 AM | by | Comments (0)

As we recently made our way through Italy we couldn’t help but start thinking about planning our next adventure—or even a side trip. Of course we try to enjoy and embrace the moment, but in the back of our minds we’re always kind of thinking about where to head next and how to make it happen. It's an irresistible impulse.

Unfortunately for us this was made even more difficult when hopping on and off public transportation in spots like Venice, Milan, and Rome, as both the boat and train stations were quick to point out cheap flights and appealing destinations.

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Emirates Airline Slaps Its Name on Two London Underground Stations

May 11, 2012 at 12:50 PM | by | Comments (2)

Emirates, the world's 8th best airline according to some survey that someone invented, has been on a tear to raise its global profile.

The "fast-growing" airline recently expanded to Dulles and has been pushing Boeing to manufacture more and more airplanes. Even their in-flight magazine is reportedly doing well.

Wait a minute, you might say that this point. The Emirates PR people actually got a journalist to do a full writeup about their magazine? Yes. And not only that, but that's not even the most obnoxiously aggressive publicity stunt the airline has recently pulled. It turns out that Emirates is sponsoring a cable car and two London Underground stations in London, for a period not less than ten years.

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Finally, a Foursquare Badge for People Who Hate Taking Taxis

March 22, 2012 at 4:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

Update! One day after releasing the badge, Foursquare has made it an expertise one. That means "leveling up" is now possible. Yippee!

Foursquare, the location-based social app, has been on quite the run with issuing new badges for those who like to get out and explore beyond their city...but into the world. From Baltimore to Moscow, the focus has been on highlighting individual cities. Today, however, the table turns to transportation and how we get around those cities. Please put your hands together for the new Trainspotter badge.

It's essentially the train version of the popular Jetsetter badge, which has existed since the early days of Foursquare a couple years back.

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How and Where to Catch a Ride on Chicago's Annual Holiday Train

December 1, 2011 at 11:45 AM | by | Comment (1)

When you think of the holiday season and big cities you probably think of New York City and its window displays and oversized Christmas tree. Well it’s time to consider Chicago as well, because they certainly get into the holiday spirit in their own Midwesterny ways. Especially since every season they totally remodel the inside and outside of an El train with lights, decorations, and more.

The Chicago Transit Authority has done this for a few years now, and the trains even come complete with Santa and his elves, on hand to pass out candy canes and other treats. In additional to the holiday treats, the train is decked out with lights from top to bottom along with projections and other displays. It doesn’t stop there either, as the inside of the train also gets a holly jolly makeover that can put a smile on the face of even the biggest Grinch.

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The Musts of Bangkok: Hopping the Chao Phraya River Boat Bus

October 6, 2011 at 3:31 PM | by | Comment (1)

These days, when you think of Bangkok, does the "Hangover 2" phrase "Holla, city of squalor" pop into mind? It did ours, until we freaking went there and got tangled in its web of awesomeness. Bangkok is truly a world metropolis to be experienced over more than a few days, but we'll be detailing several places and things that simply can't be left undone. Join us, but watch where you step.

You MUST hop the river's bus boats to get where you're going.

If you think there's a ton of ways to get around a metropolis like New York City, then you need to spend some time in Bangkok, which may just take the cake for variety of public transportation options. There's taxis, tuk-tuks, motorbike taxis, buses, songthaews, longboats, the subway, the Skytrain, commuter and hotel boats and the Chao Phraya Express Boat. The latter, if you can't yet tell from the topic of this story, is our favorite by far.

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Paris Loves the Romance of Gum Chewing, the Resulting Mess on Sidewalks Not So Much

Where: Paris, France
June 17, 2011 at 11:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

This sign might not have been charming if it was in New York’s subway system, but when we spotted this traveling around Paris we thought it was something pretty special. We’re hardly experts when it comes to French—our knowledge is based purely on those old infomercials for Muzzy—but we kind of knew what they were talking about when we spotted the sign.

It doesn’t take much to understand that the city doesn’t want chewing gum left behind on the trains, but it’s the way in which it was written that we found charming. Even without too much mastery of the French language it was pretty easily to see that the whole thing rhymes—kind of like a public service sonnet.

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London's Underground Stations to Get WiFi Just in Time for the Olympics

March 30, 2011 at 8:31 AM | by | Comments (0)

We still need to get through the Royal Wedding before finalizing our plans for the 2012 Olympics, but if need be, we might be able to plan things on the fly when the fun rolls around next year. London is moving full-speed ahead in preparation for next year’s games, and it looks like Tube stations will also be getting some spit polishing.

Unfortunately the upgrade doesn’t include air conditioning, but they do involve a little bit of technology. The city is attempting to bring WiFi to the London Underground before the 2012 Olympics, which means no more dropped signals on your smartphone when you’re forced to head below street level.

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San Francisco's BART Enters the World of Augmented Reality iPhone Apps

March 12, 2010 at 5:41 PM | by | Comments (2)

Today is officially the first day of pre-orders for Apple's new iPad, and in honor of the day, we thought it appropriate to talk up another great iPhone Travel App, especially now that augmented reality is becoming more and more embraced.

The latest to make use of augmented reality with the iPhone 3GS is, to our delight, San Francisco's BART system. They've just released their app in conjunction with Junaio, to locate the closest BART station to you, and even see what and when is the next train is arriving. It works like most other augmented reality applications; you turn on the app, which opens up the phone's camera and utilizing the GPS to lay direction and transportation information over the scene you see around you, but on your screen.

But it's features go further. More, after the jump.

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