Public transit to get to/from work?

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I've got a question for my fellow travelers working in bigger cities. I'm looking for my next assignment, and my recruiter found one in Miami that I'm interested in. The catch: it's a 12 hour drive to get there. My recruiter suggested I could fly out and then use public transportation to get around the city.

My recruiter talked like it was no big deal, but he's from New York and has grown up using public transit. I grew up in Kentucky, where the bus was infrequent if it was running at all. My knowledge of city buses and subways is limited to what I've seen on TV.

How safe and feasible is using public transportation for a petite woman working nights?

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Unless you are working a swing shift, you will be going to and from work at relatively normal hours. Public transport is likely safer than taking a car, from an accident standpoint, and probably even from malign intent (which the driver is unlikely to stand for). You will have fellow hospital workers on the same bus. Take a look at Miami bus schedules and figure out your likely route and times.

I'd still suggest driving, even if you end up on public transport on assignment. Car is pretty nice to shoot over to Miami Beach, or the Everglades. 12 hours is nothing, more like 36 hours driving time for me to get to west coast assignments. You can take a lot more personal stuff too if you drive. I take a bicycle because I hate commuting by car or bus and find a place within bicycle commuting distance from the hospital.

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Specializes in oncology, MS/tele/stepdown.

I also vote for you to bring your car. It rains a lot in FL lol. You can still take public transportation if that works out for you, but definitely bring your car for backup. I've only ridden the metro in Miami a few times, but I rode a lot of public transportation for years in and around Philly. Just be smart and aware of your surroundings - no headphones, don't sit with your purse out, don't be afraid to confront someone trying to make you uncomfortable. Ned does bring up a good point that you'll actually be commuting during normal hours, unless you're 8 hour nights going in at 11p or something.

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Specializes in FNP, Surgery.

I live in Miami- no. I live right in the Brickell (downtown) area where the metro rail, and metro mover are heavily used. Insist on a rental car. The Miami public transportation is not like New York.

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I drive to all my assignments. I love road trips! I use the RoadTrippers app & find all the cool stuff to see on the way. You can enter in things like “off the beaten path, odd, abandoned, historical” etc. etc.

On one of my CA assignments I came home across the country following Route 66. Best road trip EVER!

Plus it’s convenient to have your car handy if you want to go exploring on weekends & evenings off.

And like someone said, you can still take public transport, even if you have your car. I did that in Seattle, Boston & NYC when I wanted to hang out in the cities (parking was a nightmare!). There’s bus/subway/train apps that walk you through every stop. Seattle had really decent Uber fares as well.

Good luck! I hope you have a fun assignment. ?

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