Cities with the Best Access to Public Transportation

The backbone of any thriving metropolis isn’t just its skyline or economy—it’s the intricate web of public transportation that keeps its residents moving. We know as a fact that many of you play our solitaire games either while waiting for public transportation or riding it.

From things like work commutes or trips to the store, millions of Americans rely on vehicles like buses or trains to get where they need to go. And as cities across the country grapple with increasing population density and environmental concerns, the accessibility of public transit has become a critical measure of urban success.

That’s why we at Solitaire Bliss set out to analyze the most public transportation-friendly cities in the U.S. In February 2025, we combed through data like transit-stop density per person and per square mile across the 30 largest cities in the country. Our research goes beyond simple stop counts to create a comprehensive “transit accessibility score” that considers all the metrics we analyzed to rank each and every city.

The results? Some cities stand out as transit havens, while others prove that public transportation isn’t always easy. Read on to see where your city falls on the list!

Key Takeaways

• San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Portland, OR have the best access to public transportation out of all cities we analyzed.
San Francisco has the most train stops per mile and per person and the most bus stops per mile.
• Detroit, MI, and Portland, OR, have the most bus stops per person.
• Jacksonville, FL, Las Vegas, NV, and San Antonio, TX, have the worst access to public transportation out of the cities we analyzed.
• Four cities (San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, DC) have 40 or more bus stops per mile.
• Six cities (San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Washington, DC, and Portland) have more than one train stop per mile. This includes tram stops, subway stations, and railway stations.

The Cities That Have the Best Overall Access to Public Transportation

San Francisco, CA, comes out on top as the #1 city with the best overall access to public transportation, scoring 96.55 out of 100. It leads the other West Coast cities in the top six: Portland, OR (#3) and Seattle, WA (#6).

Public transportation in San Francisco is run by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (including buses), which began operation over a century ago in 1912. Among public transit options in the city are the three iconic cable cars lines, which have roots dating back to the 1870s and are the last manually operated cable car system in the world. In fact, San Francisco’s cable cars are on the National Register of Historic Places and are one of only two railways in the country to be named a National Historic Landmark (the other being New Orleans’s St. Charles Streetcar Line).

Washington, DC, comes up second in our rankings, trailing San Francisco by roughly three points. The nation’s capital’s public transit system is operated by Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and has had a subway (known as the Metro) since the 1970s.

Besides already-mentioned Portland at #3, the remaining two cities in the top 5 are Boston, MA (#4), and Chicago, IL (#5). Boston is home to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and has had a subway in place since 1897. Chicago, meanwhile, has the Chicago Transit Authority and is best known for its "L" train, which has served the city since 1892.

The Cities That Have the Best Access to Buses

Detroit, MI, ranks sixth overall, but comes in tops when looking at the number of bus stops per person. Motown is home to 5.17 bus stops per 1,000 residents, beating out Portland, OR (5.08) and Baltimore, MD (5.00).

However, Detroit’s bus system is spread out across a wide area, which hurts its number of stops per mile (it ranks #9 here). As it stands, the top of the bus stops per mile list is a bit different. San Francisco, the overall leader, features 70.13 bus stops per mile, which is over 35 stops more than runner-up Chicago. Boston, which ranks #4 overall, comes in a close third behind San Francisco and Chicago, while Washington, DC, ranks barely behind Boston in fourth.

The Cities That Have the Best Access to Trains

Finally we also looked at train stops within city limits. This specifically covers light rail, subway, and tram stops within city limits

San Francisco shines here again. The city ranks #1 for both the number of train stops per 1,000 people (0.420) and train stops per mile (7.84). The #2 city is also the same on both lists—Philadelphia, PA has 0.308 train stops per 1,000 people and 3.67 stops per mile.

The #3 ranking for each category breaks out into different cities, however. Portland does well with 0.217 stops per 1,000 residents while New York City has 1.83 stops per mile.

Solitaire Bliss Is a Great Way to Play on the Go

Living in a city with top-tier public transportation, like San Francisco or Washington, D.C., means you leave the car at home and enjoy the convenience of smooth travel. But commuting via public transportation means you’ll have plenty of down time—and this doesn’t have to be idle time. Why not try out a game of FreeCell when you’re out and about?

At Solitaire Bliss, we believe every commute is an opportunity for a quick and fresh game of fun—you don’t have to stare at the clock or mindlessly scroll through your phone; you can turn those minutes into engaging play. Jump in with enjoyable classic card games like Spider Solitaire or TriPeaks and turn your trip into an entertaining challenge. Next time you’re on the move, make Solitaire Bliss your perfect travel companion!

Methodology

In February 2025, we analyzed bus, light rail, subway, and tram stops within the city limits of the 30 largest U.S. cities using OpenStreetMap. The number of stops in each city was then compared against the city’s population size and square mileage to determine an overall “transit accessibility score” out of 100. The cities were then ranked by this score to determine which have the best—and which have the worst—access to public transit.