Thursday morning, former congressman Beto O’Rourke posted a photo of himself waiting for a BoltBus in New York City to take him to Boston, where he was expected to hold events in Medford and Roxbury on Friday afternoon.

That could explain the recent flurry of presidential candidate sightings on buses and trains.

If you’re in New York City for a nationally-televised forum on climate change, it’s probably not a good idea to take an SUV.

As he took the roughly four-hour ride across New England, O’Rourke appeared on Facebook Live to talk about climate change and urged viewers to support his campaign. His campaign called it a “Bus Town Hall,” and he took questions from viewers.


O’Rourke’s campaign told the Washington Post that taking a bus from New York to Boston would be more environmentally friendly than a flight. A spokesperson for O’Rourke said Thursday the bus ride was about “meeting people where they are and going where other candidates won’t go.”

The sightings began on Wednesday night as former Obama administration official Julián Castro posted a photo of himself aboard the MTA’s 7 train, which he said he was taking to Queens to watch the US Open following his CNN appearance.

Hopped on the 7 line and heading out to Flushing. I have a few spare hours left in NYC tonight and I’m ready to enjoy the @usopen quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/meORL0vkjd — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) September 5, 2019

Less than 10 minutes later, Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign Twitter account posted a photo of the South Bend, Ind., mayor scanning his phone as he rode the subway.

“SPOTTED: @PeteButtigieg on his way to tonight’s #ClimateTownHall,” the caption said.

All three Democratic presidential primary candidates were in New York City on Wednesday to take part in CNN’s seven-hour series of town halls on climate change.

Massachusetts voters are certainly familiar with politicians who ride mass transit to make a point:

City Councilor Michelle Wu canvassed on MBTA cars along with a team of volunteers in July to protest fare hikes and urge more transportation funding.


As he ran against Governor Charlie Baker in 2018, Jay Gonzalez hopped a commuter rail train from a stop within walking distance of Baker’s Swampscott home and took it into Boston.

The issue dogged Baker again earlier this year as a Red Line derailment sparked renewed questions about the system’s safety and reliablility, and Massachusetts Democrats circulated a petition urging Baker to experience the issues firsthand.

Former Governor Michael Dukakis was famous for riding the MBTA to work when he served decades ago, and is still spotted on the Green Line.

Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @cprignano.