People love to hate Los Angeles. Tell someone you’re visiting or moving here and steel yourself for the barrage of unsolicited jabs about how “the people are so fake,” or “the traffic is unbearable,” or “there’s not enough water.” OK, well, that last one is totally true and we have no clue how to fix it.

But here’s the deal with the traffic—it’s a necessary evil. Regardless of what you think you’ve gleaned from the movie Speed, LA’s public transportation is lacking. You should probably get a car. If you refuse, here are your other options.

Getting Around

It’s definitely possible to get around LA without a car. But not having one is going to crank up the difficulty setting of your stay.

The buses are crowded and don’t come often enough. Maybe you’ll try the subway—which, yes, LA does have, before realizing it doesn’t go that many places. You’ll try walking, but then you’ll realize it’s a million degrees out and each neighborhood is 100 miles wide.

One day, trains will get you further and further. An extension is opening this year that will finally let you get from downtown to the beach, something that wasn’t previously possible.

Still, for the time being, certain areas like the Getty Center and West Hollywood are tricky to access via public transportation. That means you’ll blow a lot of your transportation budget on Lyft or Uber if you choose to go carless.

Oh, and you’re officially banned from asking for rides from friends if you’re here visiting. Everything is 300 miles apart, and giving someone a ride usually eats up about four hours of your day. Just get a fucking car.

Check out more from the VICE Guide to Los Angeles