Transportation in New Haven

New Haven runs on a compact grid where walking often beats waiting. The Yale Shuttle (free, teal buses marked "Y") loops the downtown and campus every 10, 15 minutes. Locals treat it as the unofficial metro. For longer hops, CTtransit buses radiate from the New Haven Green hub, routes 238/271 to the train station, 204 to East Rock, pay with exact change or the Go CT Card app. Taxis and ride-shares cluster around the Green and Union Station; they're a splurge compared with the bus but handy after midnight when the Yale Shuttle and most CTtransit lines wind down. First-time visitors: the Green is your compass, every bus, shuttle, and rideshare pickup funnels through it. Skip the temptation to drive downtown. Street parking is scarce and garages are pricey. Instead, lock your car at Union Station (cheap overnight deck) and ride in. If you land at Tweed, New Haven Airport, the only public option is CTtransit route 271; it meets most flights but ends early evening. Miss it and the taxi queue is the reliable fallback, agree on the metered fare before you load bags.