Why is it so hard to get cims to take metro?

[arooglygoon]

I've been playing for a long time and I've noticed in my games that when I have bus and metro roughly paralleling each other cims will prefer to take the bus, even if they are waiting by the hundreds at the overcrowded stops, and it's never really made sense to me. I feel like I have to purposefully nerf my bus routes by making them short and making them end at metro stations in order for people to be willing to change from bus to metro instead of taking various buses the whole way. Is it because the buses are more frequent? Because they have more narrowly spaced stops? Is the metro somehow not actually faster than the bus? Something else?

I only have the base game and not any expansions so I can't build trams to bridge the gap, I have to either let my cims wait at stops by the hundreds or build a metro for them. When I'm making a metro line I usually use the highest-capacity model which is 500 in the base game, and it's not clear to me why I'd ever choose a train with less capacity if the price is the same. If there's something superior about any of the other models then I'm not aware of it.

 

[MarkJohnson]

I have little issues with transportation options.

I usually make my routes short and sweet, so they get to their destinations quickly.

Maybe you build too big and too fast?

In my real city of Longview, WA. we have only 9 bus likes and 1 outside connection bus line (Greyhound) and it is for a 40k population city.

Maybe elaborate on what you are trying to do, and why.

Use your route tool in info views. It will more clearly show you were cims want to go.

 

[RenengadeDragon]

Xbox one x, PS4
* I prefer to run several Bus lines from each Metro station to service the local area. Just a few stops on each. I try to connect residential, commercial an industry locally to keep them happy. That way I funnel the cims to the Metro station for the longer commute.
* I place any intercity bus stations near a Metro Station so Tourists can transfer if they wish. Or they can visit local attractions or go shopping.
* I almost always end up needing the largest Metro trains as their packed full of commuters.

 

[akeela84]

Buses are usually cheaper than metro trains. That might explain why your citizens choose to take buses.
If you want that your citizens take the metro then remove your bus lines that follows the metro line.

 

[arooglygoon]

Looking at routes it seems like what's going on is that in many cases the bus is slightly more direct which makes it preferential over metro. But I'm a tad worried that making my bus routes less direct and forcibly feeding people onto metro will just increase car traffic instead, and it doesn't seem like cims account for traffic time at all when deciding whether to take transit, and they definitely don't account for transit overcrowding. I guess it makes sense, it just doesn't feel very lifelike because in real life, in a high-traffic situation people would prefer the mode that doesn't get stuck in traffic and has room for them to get on, but in this game it seems like directness matters way more.

What I've done in this game is created a corridor of commercial along the riverfront, and a corridor of park next to that, and then an area upriver that is filled with unique buildings. So there's a huge gradient of flow between the riverfront and the more residential areas and only a couple metro lines that make those trips. I feel like I'm re-learning lessons I've learned from previous games, but harder.

 

[MarkJohnson]

Looking at routes it seems like what's going on is that in many cases the bus is slightly more direct which makes it preferential over metro. But I'm a tad worried that making my bus routes less direct and forcibly feeding people onto metro will just increase car traffic instead, and it doesn't seem like cims account for traffic time at all when deciding whether to take transit, and they definitely don't account for transit overcrowding. I guess it makes sense, it just doesn't feel very lifelike because in real life, in a high-traffic situation people would prefer the mode that doesn't get stuck in traffic and has room for them to get on, but in this game it seems like directness matters way more.

What I've done in this game is created a corridor of commercial along the riverfront, and a corridor of park next to that, and then an area upriver that is filled with unique buildings. So there's a huge gradient of flow between the riverfront and the more residential areas and only a couple metro lines that make those trips. I feel like I'm re-learning lessons I've learned from previous games, but harder.

Now, have you made a large city before making these lines? If so, it may flood them. I find I need to build public transportation slowly as the city grows slowly.

I just made my first passenger train at 55k population and my trains are getting overwhelmed with tourists.

Before, I never built public transit except freight trains, as that kept tourists away. Then I just balanced my zones with high density and low density to keep cims happy.

But you definitely should build up your city slowly with transit options for a better experience.

Maybe post a saved game so that we can see your city in motion, and maybe we can offer more specific advice.