Europe And Asia Dominate The Best Public Transport City In The World Time Out Version

Illustration of the night train at Berlin Station, Germany. (Wikimedia Commons/LHOON)

JAKARTA - Cities in Europe and Asia dominate the new list of cities with the best public transportation in the world, while none of the cities from America are on the top 10.

Time Out, global city guide publisher, surveyed 20,000 people in 50 cities to find out their opinion on their local mass transit system.

The top ten, out of a total of 19 registered cities, consist entirely of destinations in Asia and Europe, with Berlin in the number one position.

North America's highest entry is New York City at number 15, and no other continent is represented in this year's ranking..

Although only residents are surveyed, this list is also useful for tourists when they decide where to go next and the best way to go around.

General transportation is a broad term that includes subways, trains on land, buses, trams and even ferry crossings.

To be included in the Time Out list, at least 80 percent of the surveyed population must agree that traveling around their city on mass transportation is easy.

According to Time Out data, 97 percent of Berlin's population said positive things about their city's mass transportation infrastructure, praising reliable, comfortable and secure networks.

However, there are other factors that need to be considered when traveling by train or bus, namely aesthetics.

Stockholm, in seventh place, is one of the cities to be praised for its beautiful subway station. Many of Tunnelbana stations display colorful and dramatic designs, thus getting the nickname "the longest art show in the world".

Not only the station itself is famous for its good looks.

The train on top of the famous Hong Kong land, which is locally known as "ding dings" because of its voice, even has its own Pantone color, "HK Tram Green".

Currently, trams appear in various colors and designs, but the iconic color comes from the post-World War II era, when the British military had excess green paint.

Meanwhile, seven of the top 19 cities were praised for their mass transit system in Asia. Most are in East Asia, with Singapore, Shanghai, and Taipei on the list, while Mumbai is in 19th position.

India's Megacity recently introduced Chalo Pay, a new app that makes bookings and transit ticket payments easy without the need to bring cash.

Japan's capital Tokyo is the highest Asian city in this year's ranking, ranking third city with the best public transportation in the world.

Mass transportation of the city is praised for being well maintained, efficient and easy to navigate, even for non-Japan speakers.

The Blue Continent has six representatives on the list of the top 19, with additional London and Edinburgh from England.

Some of the cities have received praise for having an integrated payment system to cover various forms of transit.

In Copenhagen, regular travel can include water taxis that take tourists across ports. Meanwhile, Amsterdam has 10 places to make it easier to move between buses, trains, and trams.

It may not be a coincidence that these two cities are also on the list of the best cities in the world to explore on CNN versions of bicycles.

Sustainability initiatives in the European Union mean many metropolitan areas offer incentives to reduce car traffic. Whether you travel by tram, train, or bicycle, this is a way to visit key tourist attractions while reducing your carbon footprint.