How to use to take/get a train/bus/plane/subway/car

Question

How can we decide the usage of to take or to get with vehicles? It may be duplicated question but i can not find the answer.

Answer 1

Got implies that the vehicle was for you in particular. I took a taxi. I got a taxi. Both of these are correct. Got is okay here, because the taxi was ordered for you. Got does not work well for a train, bus or plane. This is because these vehicles would travel their route with, or without you. In these cases, you'd use took

As for cars, you can't use either. If you were to use got or took, it would be in the usual meaning of the words; in that you've physically moved your car (and this is the act you're describing, not that you drove).

You can also use got in the sense of I got a lift from my friend. This is a bit different, however, as a lift is not a vehicle, so took does not work here.

Answer 2

Suppose you want to take a taxi to go somewhere then you say

I want to take a taxi to XYZ station.

But whether you'll get a taxi or not is a different thing. So you wanted to take a taxi, but you didn't get one then you say

I wanted to take a taxi but i didn't get one. So i took a bus instead. (Because the buses were running / available)

Another example

If someone asks you

Why didn't you take a taxi coming here ? - So your answer would be

Because i didn't get one.

But if this question were to be asked putting 'get' in it then the question would be phrased as

Why didn't you get a taxi coming here ? - The answer to this question would be probably subjective as in

I didn't get a taxi because there was taxi-driver's strike going on.

I couldn't get a taxi because there was taxi-driver's strike going on.

Following is the edited answer to the question in the comment of PO (If I ask my friend to pick me up with his car and I took it, then what can I say for this? Is it correct to say "I got my friend's car"?)

No that would be incorrect i suppose.

Well there are few ways to say this

1. I asked my friend to pick me up and we drove over here in his car.

2. I rode over here in his car. (Here the verb 'ride' is used because you were not driving the car, but your friend was, right ? The verb 'ride' is used for the passanger and not the driver. If you are the passenger use the verb 'ride' and if you are the driver use the verb 'drive')

3. I asked my friend to pick me up and he drove me over here.

4. I asked my friend to pick me up and he gave me a ride in his car.

5. I asked my friend whether he could pick me up and give me a ride in his car as far my college as my own car had broken down.

6. My car broke down so i took a ride in my friend's car.

Now suppose you borrowed his car then you say - A bit modified sentence

1. My car broke down, so i borrowed my friend's car and drove over here.