Trains, Buses and Taxis: Navigating L.A. Without a Car

You can get around Los Angeles without a car. A lot of people from L.A. will advise you otherwise, but that's because: a) they've got cars; b) they've never really used the public transportation.

I rented a car for my trip but I wanted to see how much ground I could cover without using it. My biggest concern upfront was that I'd go broke taking taxis everywhere. And yes, taxis can be friggin expensive there because you're often crossing vast expanses of land. (Also, there are a lot of different taxi services -- some only service specific areas. And they're generally not as high-tech as NYC cabs, so the cabbies may grumble when you say you're paying by credit card and they have to pull out the old-school carbon papers.)

The key is that the L.A. bus system is actually pretty good. Click on "Trip Planner" and they'll offer you the best route to your destination. At $1.50 a ride, it's a lot cheaper than a $45 taxi trip. You just have to know where you're going and give yourself the extra time.

All in all, I just took two taxis during my weeklong stay, mainly exploiting the buses and the quaint L.A. subway. (I used Checker Cab Co. because they seemed to go all over and could arrive within 5-15 minutes of a call.) Adding up the receipts, exclusively using public transpo for the trip would've been less expensive than the car rental. Something I should remember, especially if I'm there for a shorter trip with just a few key meetings. If you're really tight on cash, you can get by without the car rental.

Since I was there through Labor Day weekend, I had plenty of time to goof around and attempting the get around while using the car as little as possible did not hinder me.

During the trip, I hit up: Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, caught an Arc Light movie, got a tattoo on Sunset Blvd, scored an In & Out Burger fix, wandered around the Sherman Oaks Galleria (there's NOTHING there). All through public transportation. I was hanging out with friends so I did more things by hitching rides.

Who's riding the buses in L.A.? Tourists, undocumented workers, the elderly, the handicapped, drunks. It's not nearly the freak-show that you might imagine, especially if you've got some experience riding the NYC subways.