Cities ranked by transit

Score 0-100. We measure coverage (does the network reach the neighborhoods you would actually live in), frequency (do you wait 3 minutes or 25 minutes), and reliability (does it run on time). 90+ cities are genuinely car-optional. Most residents could go a year without driving. 70-85 cities work car-free in the dense core but car-light or car-required in family neighborhoods. Below 70, expect to drive.

Signals we look at

• Network coverage of populated neighborhoods
• Peak / off-peak frequency
• On-time reliability
• Bike-and-walk infrastructure as a transit substitute

Scores are editorial assessments, not algorithmic. We update them as data refreshes from public sources and as the editorial revisits each city.