Study abroad in the U.S.-MBTA Boston subway transportation, get a Charlie Card for free

 

In Boston, the United States, whether you are studying or traveling freely, transportation is a very convenient and friendly city. Its subways cover most of the important areas. Needless to say, the city center, historical and cultural attractions or Harvard University , MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, basically the places you want to go in travel books, or watching MLB, NBA games, all can be reached by MBTA subway.

Even if you don't drive, it won't affect your travel, and even if you don't drive in downtown Boston, it's the best choice.

The transportation that can be used in Boston includes subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry. According to your needs and habits, you can use different tickets, such as Charlie Card, Charlie ticket, mTicket (mobile phone), and cash payment (bus or subway). The frequency of your ride and usage habits to choose the right ticket.

The Charlie Ticket is the ticket I bought the first day I arrived in Boston. Because I live about 3 subway stations away from the language school, and I need to take the subway every day, I bought the Charlie Ticket for a 7-day pass. It only took 7 days before USD$15, now it’s USD$22.5, but it’s still a lot more cost-effective than the one-way subway at USD$2.40. The Charlie Ticket is a piece of paper with the date and time of the expiration date. It will be shown to the driver every time you get on the bus. Although they all seemed to have just glanced at them, they still saw that someone was caught. It is also very free to prove. It can be used to take the subway, bus, ferry, and a section of railway. You can check the MBTA official website or traffic. map.

However, because the Charlie Ticket is paper, it’s a bit troublesome to keep it. I’m worried that it will be stained with water and faded or I can’t find it when I accidentally put it with other invoices. It’s not a long-term solution, because it takes a lot of time to use, just go and get it for free. The Charlie Card is a hard plastic card, which is a bit like a Taipei Travel Card, but it is free to claim and does not require a deposit. As long as you go to the main subway station such as Park Street Station, you can go to the service counter to get it and use it. It's very convenient.

However, Charlie Card can only be used on subways and buses. Additional tickets are required for ferries and railways. Therefore, you must purchase suitable tickets according to everyone's commuting methods and habits. In addition to one-way, there are also 1-day passes, 7-day passes, and monthly passes, whether it is subway, rail, or ferry.

I have also paid cash on the subway. This is a rare situation. I forgot to recharge and the subway came, so I got on the train first and then paid the cash. It would be a little troublesome. It's better to buy in advance. If you have any questions, you can check the official website first, even if you don’t understand English, it’s okay. The website supports Chinese.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Official Website