Getting around Cambridge: public transport, passes and taxis

Cambridge is compact and flat, so the choice is mostly between your own car, a taxi or ride-hailing app, and walking once you are parked. Public buses exist but run on limited schedules, which makes them a poor fit for a short visit unless your hotel sits on a route.

A car is the most useful thing you can have here. Cambridge sits on US-50, the main Eastern Shore highway, which puts Easton to the west and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the route toward Annapolis; drive times check. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is a short drive south of town and has no bus service, so without a car you are limited to a tour or a taxi.

Downtown parking is straightforward by big-city standards: street spaces along Race Street and near the waterfront, with more room a block or two off the main strip. Rates and permit rules vary by lot — read posted signs (check). Fuel is widely available on US-50; fill up before heading to the refuge, where services are minimal (check).

Watch for the usual US rules: right turn on red unless signed otherwise, school-zone speed limits, and deer on the refuge roads at dawn and dusk.

Delmarva Community Transit provides the local and county bus service, including routes linking Cambridge with Easton and other Dorchester County communities (check). Schedules are built around commuters and errands rather than sightseeing, with limited evening and weekend runs, so check the current timetable before you rely on it.

Fares are low, and exact change or a pass may be required depending on the route — confirm locally (check). If you are staying downtown and mainly want restaurants and the waterfront, you will not need the bus at all. If you are staying outside the core without a car, plan your day around the few runs that exist rather than assuming you can hop on and off.

Uber and Lyft both cover Cambridge, and an in-town trip is usually quick (check). The catch is supply: outside peak dinner hours, and especially late at night or out toward the refuge, you may wait or find no car at all (check). Request the ride before you need it, and keep a local taxi number as backup.

Local taxi companies take phone bookings and can be a good option for early airport departures or a fixed run to Easton or the refuge (check). Agree the fare when you book. Tipping follows the US norm: 15–20%, added in the app for ride-hailing.

There is no rail service to Cambridge. Reaching an Amtrak station means a separate transfer by car or bus; check the nearest station and route before you plan a train leg.

The historic core is small and flat. Race Street, High Street, the Harriet Tubman-related sites and the Choptank River waterfront are close together, which makes walking the default once you have parked; exact distances check. Sidewalks are present through downtown but thin out quickly on the edges of town (check).

Biking works well on the flat terrain, and the waterfront area has paths suited to a casual ride (check). Longer rides toward the refuge are on shared roads with traffic, so ride with lights and expect trucks. Bring your own bike or check locally for rentals, which are limited (check).

These are 2026 estimates for planning, not quoted prices. Your biggest variable is whether you rent a car.