Difference between revisions of "Methods of transportation"

Revision as of 23:24, 22 June 2018

Stony Brook University is located about half way down Long Island on the north shore in the Three Village area including the townships of Poquott, Setauket, Stony Brook, Saint James, Head of the Harbor, and Old Field. Getting to Stony Brook University is challenging relative to getting places in New York City (or any other major metropolitan area really). However, there are several reliable ways of getting around or to the Stony Brook area.

Modes of Transportation

Stony Brook Transit (Bus Service)

A free bus service is available on campus. The latest bus to the Chapin Apartments graduate housing area leaves from the center of campus around 11PM. Available resources are a bus schedule, online interactive map, and smartphone apple app and android app.

Bus

Additionally, there is a public Suffolk County Bus system which is free on Saturdays with a student ID and is somewhat cheaper ($1.25) on other days with the student ID. A large scale map is available here. Unfortunately, they don't run very late and the transfers are useless for taking the same bus back. Drivers only accept them if you are truly doing a transfer.

Train

The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) has multiple lines that reach down Long Island, one of which (the Port Jefferson line) has a station right on campus, near the physics building. The Port Jefferson line has stations nearby in Port Jefferson Station, Saint James, and Smithtown (all around 6 or so miles from campus, with a number of apartments and houses available in the vicinity of these stations). Quite a few students take the train daily to school from the nearby towns, and some professors and students even arrange to use the train to come to school all the way from New York City (an approximately 2 hour train ride with at least one transfer in Huntington and sometimes in Hicksville or Jamaica). The LIRR is separate from the subway system, but both are operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). The train costs about $13 for a one way ticket from Stony Brook to Penn Station in Manhattan (more if you're going to the city early in the morning or from the city in the late afternoont/early evening), and costs $3.50 for a one way ticket to Port Jefferson Station although the conductors almost never check for this short distance ticket. If you intend to use the train often you can buy package or monthly tickets which can be significantly cheaper.

Zipcar (defunct)

For $35 you can subscribe to Zipcar, which is useful for renting a car for grocery runs and such. There are several cars on campus; you reserve them for some amount of time (the rate is about $10/hour), go get them, and then park them where you found them when you're done.

Update: The company no longer has any cars on campus.^[1]

Car

Long Island is not New York City, and as such it is much more difficult to get around. Most basic tasks like shopping, going to offices to fill out paperwork, or just having fun will require some means of transportation, and the simplest and most convenient if you live off of campus is owning your own car.

If you own a car you must do several required things including

• Getting insurance (~$150 a month for a reasonably old car)
• Obtaining a driver's license
• Paying for a registration and license plate on the car (~$50 depending on the kind of car)
• Getting an inspection sticker at a licensed auto-repair store (~$50)
• Maintaining and servicing your car (New tires every 2 years or so, oil change every 6 months or 3000 miles - these costs add up really fast)

If you buy a car it is best to get a used car, but it is also very easy to get scammed by someone selling a terrible car, so be carefull!

Some students that live off campus will buy a car together and share it, thus cutting the cost a lot.

New York drivers are not the best drivers in America, so if you are not from the area you should probably be careful until you learn their quirks

• If the sign says 30 MPH it may well mean 50 MPH
• Turn blinkers are often neglected
• Lights often have no turn on red signs and for good reason, but some people do not use them, so be careful there
• There's lots more, so keep your eyes open

Airports

Main article: Getting to Stony Brook#Airports

Ride Hailing (Taxis, Uber, Lyft)

Both Lyft and Uber currently operate in Suffolk County. You can use them by installing the respective app on your phone and signing in. It may take 10 minutes or more for the car to arrive after you hail it, and short-distance trips in this area cost around $10.

The most commonly-used taxi company in this area is Lindy's Taxi. You can reach a dispatcher at 631-675-2828 (Stony Brook area) 631-473-0707 (Port Jeff area), among others. There also are often cabs waiting at the train station when trains arrive, though if you do not call ahead of time and there isn't already a cab there it can take up to an hour to get a cab.

Islandwide Transportation also provides a taxi service, though you have to make a reservation (not necessarily in advance).