Transit is an important part of daily life in Mainz. With multiple forms of public transportation, as well as walking and biking, most people can get around without needing a car. Because the climate is relatively mild (snow is not very common in winter), people can use most of this transit year-round.
People get around in Mainz in a few different ways. One of the most common is the Straßenbahn (trolley). There are 5 trolley lines in Mainz (the 50, 51, 52, 53, and 59), all of which connect to the Hauptbahnhof (central train station). The Straßenbahn is really nice because it's fast. It doesn't have to stop at traffic lights (everything else has to stop when the trolley comes), and it has its own rail.
In addition to the Straßenbahn, there are lots of public buses around the city. These are slower, but they connect to almost every part of the city. Unfortunately, the buses have significantly more delays than the Straßenbahn because they have to stop at traffic lights and do not have a separate lane from the cars.
For connections to neighboring cities and towns outside of Mainz, people usually use the Deutsche Bahn (German rail system). This is a nationwide network of trains. The train cars are very comfortable, and many have bathrooms on them.
