Public Transportation Maps

Mar 20, 2021
3 min read

Most times, when you want to go somewhere, you hop in the car. But what if your car won’t take you where you want to go and you want to plan your trip using public transportation?

All those wonderful road maps we’ve looked at in earlier blog articles – the ones published by oil companies, state and provincial highway departments, turnpikes and toll authorities, restaurants and motels, bridge and tunnel operators and the various auto clubs – won’t be much good in helping you figure out how to get where you want to go by plane, bus or train.

Happily – and not just for the traveler planning a trip but for collectors who are fascinated by the endless variety and boundless appeal of maps in all their diversity – there are maps that are tailored to virtually any sort of travel alternative to the automobile: airline maps, bus and subway maps, railroad maps, ferry maps – maps that can be categorized generally as mass transit or public transportation maps. (For maps on walking, hiking, biking, skiing, canoeing – and other ways of getting around once you arrive at your destination – watch for future blog posts.)

As with some highway maps, many current mass transit maps can be obtained for free from the various issuing agencies by a phone call, postcard or email, allowing the collector to easily acquire new material.

Older mass transit maps are fascinating windows to the history of transportation, showing the routes of trains and buses that have stopped running, giving timetables and schedules or depicting the areas served by smaller, regional airlines that are no longer operating. Many of the earlier railroad, bus, airplane and other mass transit maps are eagerly sought by paper and ephemera collectors who specialize in these particular areas of interest. You can them at flea markets, thrift shops, yard sales, antique shops and our very own top-rated eBay store.

A handful of older transportation maps are listed below.

Subway maps

Large-format 1986 London Underground map postcard, in excellent, unused condition.

Official large-format fold-out 1991 map of the Metro system, published by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority more than 29 years ago.

Official large-format fold-out February 2004 New York City subway and railroad map published by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

1986 London Map Postcard
1991 Map of WA Metro System
1991 Map of WA Metro System
1991 Map of WA Metro System
2004 NYC Subway & Railroad Map
2004 NYC Subway & Railroad Map

Railroad maps

Large-format fold-out Canadian Pacific map of railway lines in Canada, printed more than 70 years ago.

Fold-out 1961 timetables, fare schedules, and system map for the principal trains of the Burlington Route, printed more than 55 years ago.

Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad passenger train time tables, effective September 27, 1953.

Canadian Pacific Railway Map
Canadian Pacific Railway Map
Canadian Pacific Railway Map
Trains of the Burlington Route
Trains of the Burlington Route
Chicago & Eastern Illinois RR
Chicago & Eastern Illinois RR

Ferry maps

Handsome fold-out 1966 travel guide and sailing schedules for Lake Champlain ferry crossings, printed more than 52 years ago.

Large-format fold-out 1988 schedule of cross channel services via Calais.

Handsome fold-out 1970 scenic guide and map of ferry routes on Puget Sound and adjacent inland waters, printed more than 47 years ago.

Lake Champlain Ferry Crossings
Lake Champlain Ferry Crossings
Lake Champlain Ferry Crossings
1988 Calais Ferry Schedule
1988 Calais Ferry Schedule
1988 Calais Ferry Schedule
1988 Calais Ferry Schedule
Puget Sound Ferry Routes
Puget Sound Ferry Routes
Puget Sound Ferry Routes
Puget Sound Ferry Routes

Bus maps

Two-sided fold-out 1977 airport bus schedule, published by Continental Air Transport.

Handsome fold-out official Metropolitan Transportation Authority April 1997 bus map of Queens.

Original 1946 fold-out travel map brochure, published by Greyhound more than 72 years ago.

1977 Continental Air Transport
1977 Continental Air Transport
1977 Continental Air Transport
1997 Bus Map of Queens
1997 Bus Map of Queens
1997 Bus Map of Queens
1946 Greyhound Travel Map
1946 Greyhound Travel Map
1946 Greyhound Travel Map
1946 Greyhound Travel Map
1946 Greyhound Travel Map

Airplane maps

Pocket-size 1967 TDI booklet of timetables for all scheduled airlines to and from Washington, DC, printed more than 50 years ago.

Fold-out 1962 PNA Alaska service flight schedules and fares brochure.

Fold-out Piedmont Airlines schedule of flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

1967 TDI Timetables Booklet DC
1967 TDI Timetables Booklet DC
1967 TDI Timetables Booklet DC
1962PNA Alaska Flight Schedule
1962PNA Alaska Flight Schedule
1962PNA Alaska Flight Schedule
1962PNA Alaska Flight Schedule
Piedmont Airlines Dallas-FtWth
Piedmont Airlines Dallas-FtWth

For more information on public transportation maps, as well as maps in a wide range or categories, you are welcome to contact us via our contact page.