You better not get lost on the subway after reading this.

As a rising first-year, by now you know NYC is a busy urban jungle with a very convenient transportation system that supports this busy lifestyle. It can be confusing to navigate the subways and buses at first, so we’ve laid out some tips for you below.

Schedule/Direction

  • Each subway line will have two directions, one side usually labeled as Manhattan/Bronx or Uptown/Queens and Downtown/Manhattan or Brooklyn/Coney Island. When you are traveling north through Manhattan, you are going uptown and if you are going south through Manhattan, then you are going downtown. 
  • Buses operate in the same way! There are two directions and make sure you press the Stop button when it is approaching your stop so the bus actually lets you off.
  • There may be late night or weekend changes, so do check beforehand. Subways operate 24/7 so there will always be a train for you (with the possibility of delays or random changes).
  • Local trains stop at both local stops and express stops while express trains will skip local stops. During service changes, it is possible for an express train to go local and for local trains to run express, but the latter is way less likely. 
  • Use apps to plan your trip in advance. Google Maps is the classic choice, but Citymapper, Transit, and MyMTA are also recommended. 

Fares

  • You can purchase a regular MetroCard where you pay per ride. Each ride is currently $2.90, with free transfers. Each time you swipe, you are paying this amount. You can add value to this Metrocard until it expires. You can also purchase a weekly ($34) or monthly pass ($132) which gives you unlimited rides within that period of time. I won’t recommend buying the passes unless you use the subway multiple times a day.  
  • OMNY is the tap-to-pay system where you use your credit or debit card to pay the fare. You pay the same amount and the free transfer is still applicable. After paying for 12 rides in a 7 day period, you earn unlimited free rides until that 7 day period has elapsed.
  • To elaborate on free transfers—you can go from subway to bus or vice versa without paying extra.

Knowing Your 1

  • The 1 train is the only line that runs through the 116th Street–Columbia University station and you will probably be taking it quite a few times. The 1, 2, and 3 lines are part of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. They run across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. The 1 train runs local stops while the 2 and 3 are express trains. A big mistake people make is getting onto any train with a red circle they see and assuming it will take them to Columbia. This is not true! After 96th Street, the 2 and 3 go through Harlem, while the 1 continues uptown to Columbia.
  • You can (and should) take the 1 train uptown to explore Harlem and the Bronx. It is very convenient! The Manhattanville and Medical Center campuses can also be accessed through taking the train up. If you get off at 125th, you can easily walk to Lenfest Arts Center and enjoy a free exhibition or event.

Buses

  • Fares and general direction tips apply to buses as well. Buses also run 24/7 like trains. 
  • For the bus, Google Maps can be pretty inaccurate. It’s best to use the MTA website and enter your stop or bus line. 
  • When waiting for a bus, make sure you are visible as the bus can skip over stations where no one has requested a stop and there’s no one waiting. 
  • Columbia offers its own free shuttle buses between its campuses, as long as you have an active CUID. You can see the times for Columbia buses through the Passio GO! app. There is the Intercampus Shuttle, the Manhattanville Shuttle, and the George Washington Bridge/Fort Lee Shuttle, among others. The shuttle also runs a direct route to the Baker Athletics Complex, where Columbia Athletics hosts many of its games. 

One thing about New York City’s navigation system is that it is made to be as simple as possible. If it seems intimidating to you at first, we’re sure that by the end of your first year, you will have no problem navigating anywhere!

116th Street station via Bwarchives