Missouri Taxis and Car Rental
Having your own car in Missouri will greatly enhance your experience, even if you don’t plan to travel far from your primary destination. Public transportation options are limited so a car is useful even within a single city. All of the big name rental firms can be found in the airports and at downtown offices in the large cities like Branson, St Louis and Kansas City. Good interstate connections and rural roads make it quick and easy to get between Missouri towns.
Taxis are available only in the large cities. They do not cruise around looking for fares so it is advised to carry a couple of cab numbers in case you need to call for a pick-up. In St Louis, County Cab (+1-314-993-8294) is popular, while Kansas City has AllStar Cab (+1-816-241-6500). Taxis use meters for fares, which are reasonable compared to other American states like New York.
Missouri Trains and Buses
Amtrak operates trains that cut right through the center of Missouri in an east to west direction. There are daily connections between Chicago, St Louis and Kansas City that offer a slow, but scenic travel option between Missouri’s two main hubs. Between St Louis and Kansas City there are stops in Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee’s Summit, and Independence. Amtrak trains are comfortable, but fares aren’t much cheaper than a domestic flight.
The Greyhound Bus and Jefferson Lines operate long-distance buses on the same route. Buses offer more stops, but the experience is notably less memorable than by train or car. Fares are cheap, but ultimately most travelers find they still need their own car at some point.
Kansas City only has the Metro public bus network for transportation around the city. It’s useful to reach main tourist districts and is cheap. St Louis has a light rail Metrolink system to go with its bus service. The trains run from the airport to most of the popular districts at low fares.