Every English learner knows how to talk about transportation using prepositions. It’s one of the first things taught in an English class, and it’s taught in the preposition section of most grammar books.

However, there is also another more common, more natural way of talking about transportation: use VERBS that express the action instead of ‘by car’ or ‘by train’

 

What you learn in grammar books and in your English class:

by + type of transportation

by car
by bus
by train
by subway / metro / tube
by plane / by air
by boat
by bicycle
on foot [NOT by foot!]

I go to work by car.

We went on vacation by plane.

I go by bicycle to my friend’s house.

We are going to travel across Canada by train.

I commute to work by bus.

 

Common, natural English:

Use verbs that express the action.

drive
walk
fly
sail
bike [Yes, it’s a verb AND a noun!]
ride a bike.
take the bus
take the train
take the subway

 

Example sentences:

How do you get to work?
I …
… drive to work.
… take the bus to work.
… ride my bike to work.
… walk to work.
… take the subway to work.
Where are you going on vacation? How are you getting there?

We went to London, England on our last vacation. We flew there.

For our vacation this year we’re driving to Disney World!

 

More example sentences:

I don’t like driving downtown Toronto. I prefer to take the bus.

On my days off, I like to go for a walk in the park or ride my bike.

When I was young, my friends and I would bike to the local arcade and play video games all day.

Recently, a 16-year-old Australian girl sailed around the world by herself!

 

Summary: It is not wrong to use ‘by car’ or ‘on foot,’ but there is more than one way to talk about transportation. Using the verb to describe the action is more common and more natural.