How good is the public transportation on Cape Cod?
 

It seems there are plenty of buses, etc.. going solo and on a budget, will it get to most popular scenic places?

car rentals there are very very high.

A young female friend of the family is spending a few days there alone.. arriving from boston on ferry. she is staying in the eastham area.

thanks for any tips on getting around/places not to miss or eat at, too, if you have any suggestions I will passs them on. she will be very grateful ( english is not her first language)

we have looked at the bus websites and it does seem pretty organized.

Check out:

http://www.capecodtransit.org/

In particular, the Flex route. It runs from Provincetown to Harwich (via Eastham), runs every 45 minutes, costs a dollar, and they will venture 3/4 of a mile off the route if you request it.

thanks for that tip. i will tell her to show the driver where she is going exactly and perhaps he can go off the route a bit if that takes her closer! one would never have known that.

Is she taking the ferry from Boston to P-town? Not being "fresh" here, but you may want to fill her in about Provincetown before she gets off the ferry there. I know I'd be surprised to arrive in a quaint little community to be welcomed by a man in chaps and a cowboy hat and nothing else! :)

The "outer cape," as they call it, is more difficult to get around - it is less populated, though very beautiful. I lived on the "upper cape", so can't name specific restaurants, but if she's up for doing a little exploring, she'll be fine.

thanks for the tip.

she is looking forward to this place. she has read alot about it, and some friend encouraged her to spend some time there..

i can´t wait to hear about her experiences .
she will hook up with us later in august, so it will be interesting to see how it all went!

thank you all for your suggestions!

Can't believe the comments about Provincetown by kopykate. Tip: your post belongs on the fodors lounge not here.

You put down a destination that is visited by thousands of families each year with no complaints.

There have been no negative posts about Provincetown for at least one year, why are you trying stir up the pot?

Gene, I did not see Kopycat make any negative comment about Provincetown. It seemed to be a kindly worded comment about what someone who "does not have English as her first language" might expect to see. Hardly a "put down" or "stirring up the pot."

No, but do tell where the guy in the chaps is :)
our family goes there with our boat several times a season and we've never seen anything like that -
maybe on specific destination weekends, but on regular summer weekends, the streets and beaches and tourist sites are full of families of all ages !!

Buses:; as far as the driver going off his route to bring a passenger closer to their destination, I woul not tell her to count on that at all. It is against the regulations usually for them to veer from their route (state regs, insurance rules, etc)

she should print out the transit system info and bring some taxi numbers with her also.

With all due respect, I did mention that I was not intending offense. I lived on the Cape and have spent several days day tripping in P-town... not every time have I encountered such, but indeed I have. If I was a foreigner, alone and expecting a quaint sea-side community (which she will undoubtedly encounter) I might be "surprised". That's all! It is a beautiful town, full of art and dining and incredible scenery.

As is the rest of the outer cape.