Combining transit with walking or biking

For trips over 3-4 miles, mixing transit with a walk or bike at each end is often the fastest and most pleasant way to get there. You skip the slowest parts of pure-transit (local bus stops, transfers), get built-in exercise without adding total time, and arrive right at the door.

How it works

1. Walk or bike to a transit stop (5-15 min).

2. Ride the bus or train for the long middle section.

3. Walk or bike from your destination stop (5-15 min).

Planning the trip

• Use Google Maps or the Transit app. Enter your destination, look at transit options, and notice which stops are within a 10-15 minute walk of your start and end points.
• Choose rapid transit for the middle. Subway, commuter rail, or express buses are the fastest options for the long leg.
• Consider Bluebikes for the last mile. Stations are often near transit stops. Biking the last mile is usually faster than waiting for a connecting bus.

An example

Somerville to the Seaport is a 6-mile trip. Multimodal version:

• Walk 8 min to Davis Square Red Line station
• Ride Red Line to South Station (15 min)
• Walk 10 min to the Seaport

Total: 33 minutes, $2.40, and 18 minutes of walking built into the day.

A few practical things

• Build in buffer time — allow 5 extra minutes until you learn the routine.
• Have a backup plan — know the all-transit route for bad weather days when the walk or bike-share segment is less appealing.
• For repeat trips, the routine compounds. Once you know the timing and rhythm, the planning effort drops to nearly zero.