Post 3: Transportation in Germany

Something that I have found interesting in Germany is the way transportation is sued and viewed. Germany is unlike the United States in that there is a large infrastructure of public transportation, both in individual cities and between them. Germany is also unlike most European counties I have visited, in that there is a strong car culture.

As an exchange student I obviously do not have my own car, but many students I know from Germany have their own car, and families almost all seem to have cars. The biggest difference I have seen between American and German car culture is the types of cars people drive. Obviously there is a preference for German brands over the American and Japanese brands that are so common back in the United States, but also just the type of car. Pick up trucks are absent, as are the large SUVs that dominate the US roadways. Instead there are lots of smaller cars, low vans, and sedans.

The public transportation in Germany is worlds away from the transportation in the US. Trains, trams and buses connect everything you need together, making not have a car a non-issue. I am lucky because my semester ticket from Univeristät Bremen allows me to travel for free in Bremen and to nearby cities, but even if one does not have free transportation, it is very affordable to travel.

It is very interesting to see the difference between Germany and the US as far as transportation is concerned.