Read a Transit Map
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What you will learn
- 1Use the map key to read the lines, stops and transfer points
- 2Follow a colored line from one station to another
- 3Find the direction of travel by the last stop on the line
- 4Count the stops and find where to change lines
- 5Plan a ride on a transit map with a grown-up
Mini Lesson
Many towns and cities have buses, trams or trains that follow set routes. A transit map shows those routes as simple colored lines with dots for the stops. It is not drawn like a street map - it shows the order of the stops, not the real distances. Once you can read one, you can help your grown-up plan a ride. You always ride with your grown-up.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- FIND THE KEY: the map key, or legend, tells you what each color and each symbol on the map means.
- FOLLOW THE COLOR: each line has its own color and name, like the Red Line. Trace it with your finger from end to end.
- SPOT THE STOPS: each dot is a stop or station, where people get on and off.
- FIND THE TRANSFERS: a transfer point is a station where two lines meet. There you can change from one line to the other.
- CHECK THE DIRECTION: every line runs two ways. Each way is named by the last stop at its end, so find the end you are heading toward.
- COUNT THE STOPS: count each stop after the one where you get on, so you know when to get off.
🚦 Plan a Ride with Your Grown-Up
- START AND END: find the station where you start and the station where you want to go.
- ONE LINE OR TWO: if both stations are on the same line, you can stay on. If not, find the transfer point between the lines.
- WHICH WAY: for each line you ride, find the last stop in the direction you are going.
- SAY THE PLAN: tell your grown-up the line, the direction and the number of stops.
Always ride with a grown-up. Your grown-up plans the trip with you, keeps the tickets or pass, and decides what to do if something changes. Stay next to your grown-up, stand well back from the edge of the platform and agree on what to do if you get separated. Tickets and rules are different in every place, so check them with your grown-up.
Words to know
transit map
A simple map that shows bus, tram or train lines and their stops.
e.g. The transit map showed three colored lines.
legend
The map key - the box that explains what each color and symbol means.
e.g. The legend said a ring means a transfer point.
line
One route on the map, shown in its own color and name.
e.g. We rode the Blue Line from North Gate.
station
A stop where people get on and off.
e.g. Market is the second station on the Red Line.
transfer
To change from one line to another at a station where they meet.
e.g. We will transfer to the Green Line at Museum.
direction
Which way you travel on a line, named by the last stop at that end.
e.g. We took the Red Line in the direction of Harbor.
💡 Handy Tip: before you set off, say the plan out loud: "Red Line toward Harbor, 3 stops, get off at River." Saying it helps you remember it, and your grown-up can check it.
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