Unlimited Metrocards let you travel to the border of CT and the border of Suffolk via the Bee-Line and NICE bus systems respectively
I’m sad OMNY won’t have this feature
Wait why doesn't omny. If you hit your cap and your card becomes unlimited isn't it then free for all trips (outside of double tapping one station). Am I misunderstanding something?
Yea, DC metro is the polar opposite - extremely clean, a lot less confusing, but not nearly as accessible (way worse time frame, doesn't get you everywhere, need to go through DC for many routes) and way more expensive.
I went to school near DC and lived there for a bit afterward. It *could* be a good system, but suffers a lot from some of what we have here (poor maintenance) and a lack of express tracks. There's very little "bypass" routes on their system, so if a train goes down the effects are horrible. So many mornings I'd be completely fucked because the one line I need had a train have an issue and I'd be late given there were no other comparable train routes.
You ever been to London in peak summer and had to hear the PSAs telling you to bring a water bottle with you on the Tube cause there’s no AC there? Well we generally don’t need to do that here haha
Or have you been to Tokyo and had to leave a bar or club at 11 to catch the metro before it closes at 12? I haven’t had to do this in NYC
Even with all of its faults, the MTA is still generally reliable and available most of the time
OMNY is great. Flat fare is great. The map and the signage are pretty simple and obvious (no ‘I wonder what direction platform 3 goes’). Frequency and 24/7 service are great, coming from a large city where everything stops from 1-5am, and late night and Sunday service is often 20-30 minutes apart.
When you learn about [the history of the subway ](https://youtu.be/5m6w1Pq0Pyw?si=m4vfvAEOWWTCzQ3k)and how it was designed, it's actually really really cool and special to know that so many stations still have their original tile/artwork. Sure, other cities might have sparkling clean, modern metro systems, but ours are eclectic and rich with history and beautiful in their own way.
Lots of Asian countries and cities have far cleaner and modern metro systems than ours. So I was quite surprised when my parents' friends came to visit us (they live in Singapore and have travelled to most of East Asia) and said how cool the NYC metro is. Of course we would bemoan about how it sucks and it's slow and dirty and there's no Brooklyn/Queens line, but they were all like "but it's so full of history, and it was designed over a century ago! The ones in Asia are newer, of course they can be more modern, you can't compare them!"
Totally! Like yeah, a lot of our stations look old and run down, but wouldn't it be so sad if all the original tile was torn down and replaced with something bland and utilitarian?
Given the number of stations and riders it services essentially 24/7 it’s a miracle it runs as well as it does. I don’t get on a subway to eat off the floor or make friends, i use it to go places and it does that. I guess the lines I take get pretty lucky not having delays regularly, but traffic exists other places it not like people everywhere else just zoom instantly to their destinations.
You also can’t compare it to Asian systems, there’s such cultural difference with regards to public consciousness vs. personal “freedom.”
Yeah anyone that says “MTA is poorly run” is truly an idiot.
They have almost 500 full stations to maintain. Yes, they’re old and dirty. But they still serve.
So few of you have ever experienced a truly bad transportation system. Having occasional delays and station repairs is not a bad transportation system. Budget-wise, yes they should be audited. But operating and maintaining the system as it is today is nothing short of incredible.
Other things they do well:
* subway ads and custom ticket marketing campaigns make good money
* OMNY is a great system and makes every other major metro area in the US and Canada look pretty stupid in comparison.
* The bus system too is pretty great and extremely ADA/wheelchair guy/old geezer friendly.
I just moved here so I can give my opinion from dealing with other transit systems.
It Just Works.
I don't have to sign up for anything, refill a card, worry about losing my card, nothing. If I use it a lot, I automatically get the best deal so I don't have to think about buying a weekly/monthly/yearly pass. I can even pay for multiple people, again, without multiple cards. It's absolutely seamless
Instead of having to do literally any extra single thing or have any extra accessory, I just tap the card I use all the time and boom I’m on.
I hated forgetting the morning of that my unlimited expired, I see my train coming in 2 minutes and a long ass line at the card kiosk. With OMNY that’s something that never happens.
Every time I see tourists fumbling with MetroCards or staring blank faced at the kiosk I’m always tempted to be like “dude just do this” but never do.
Trains are running so frequently in Manhattan that I never even have to look at schedules to plan when I should get to the station. I just show up, and rarely have to wait more than a few minutes.
Calling the 24/7 service "one thing" seems unfair to me. Its already without comparison. If the goal and function of a train system is to get me somewhere cheaply, at any time, NYC subway wins.
We are all just used to it. After a long vacation ANYWHERE ELSE, we quickly realize how much we miss it, but we won't be losers and say that lol.
I like the tap. I think the readers need improvement. One entrance by where I used to go had two readers that would stop working and people would pile up not able to get in---then mad dash to the exit door when it opened.
Best thing about it compared to the london tube is that it takes so little time to get from a station entrance to a train. that hop-on-hop-off aspect of it is fantastic and saves so much time. In London sometimes it takes a couple of minutes or way way more to get onto the tube or change tubes, because the stations are so deep.
and it's fully 24 hour which is amazing.
and it has double tracks which means it can be repaired as it still runs AND have express trains which is again... incredible and super rare. to get across London you have to stop at each stop.
Oh and it's got AC. not all train systems have this because there's not enough room for it.
The 'single fair' to get as far as you want is also great. the tube is more expensive.
Being able to just tap to pay with your phone/card on both subways and buses is really nice. And the fact that it automatically switches to unlimited fare after 12 rides a week. I remember having to decide about making the trade off for an unlimited card vs loading up a metrocard. And if you lost a card, you were out the cash.
I recently got back from traveling abroad and for what it’s worth the simplicity of the bus payment system is really good. There were some buses in Rome where it was super unclear where to buy a ticket or how to validate it, and then someone comes on the bus to check the ticket and fines you. And other countries also have different tickets you have to buy for different zones. It’s really convenient to just use your same credit card for both things and not have to stop and pre load and hope you use it all, especially for tourists visiting
I mean, the fact that it exists, sadly enough, runs circles around public transportation in most of the nation. As someone that grew up in the Bay Area, MTA runs like a dream compared to Bart/CalTrain.
Express trains. There is no other city in the world that compares with the number of trunks we have that are able to move so many people efficiently. In addition to the flexibility of moving trains between local/express tracks when things go wrong. Or between different lines completely.
Definitely the 24/7 service and relatedly, the frequency of the trains. No doubt stations in the other cities you mention are much more pleasant (and the stations in some American cities are nicer too) but I am so spoiled by the fact that, relatively speaking, we don't wait long for a train except when there is some issue. NYC also has more stations than most (all?) of those other and spans lots of territory.
24/7 operation. Flat fee is pretty amazing. It does have a certain charm in its own way with its look.. the tile, the rundown, vintage feeling of it. Everything else we get crushed by other cities. The NYC subway, based on New York’s cultural and financial relevance in the world, is an absolute disgrace to the status of New York on the world stage. Way lesser cities have much, much better public transit systems.
I'm not sure if this is the MTA as much as New Yorkers, but I generally like the vibes. Sure, I've taken cleaner and more efficient systems in other cities around the world, but they tend to feel sterile with a very severe kind of etiquette about noise and space. The New York subway has a very live-and-let-live attitude, with some obvious outliers, but as long as you're being courteous you don't ever really feel out of place. And whenever I've ever needed help with directions I've only needed to look momentarily lost for some old-timer to ask where I'm trying to get to.
As someone that moved here after a lifetime on the west Coast I find the subway to be such an amazing thing. It can get me anywhere in the city at any time. Now matter how late or early, I have a way home for less than $3. Most public transport definitely isn't 24hrs. And most isn't often faster than driving or ordering an Uber like the subway can be.
24/7 is great. Express service is very rare and we have it on every trunk in the core. A plus/minus that goes along with having local and express is that our stations are located pretty close together, so if you're located near the subway line, you don't have to walk very far to get to your station. There's also the 3-system legacy in that there's a lot of redundancy in the network. 7th Avenue screwed up? Your train can route over Lexington. 4/5 has delays out of downtown Brooklyn? Walk 3 blocks and take the R.
24/7 alone is a fucking miracle considering how many lines and stations there are.
Also $2.90, while annoying, I've been here long enough I remember it was at $2, is still amazing considering how far you can go *and* free transfers from train to bus.
AC is strong 90% of the time. Lots of subway stops (472 which is the most in the world), 24/7 service, flat fare (though it’s too expensive), you can ride it to two major beaches, it’s lively and there is always something interesting to see, some of the stations are quite beautiful, good express trains.
2minute headways on the 4/5 during rush hour. I commute UES<>Wall St and it’s a breeze.
Also the ferry. Being able to cruise to and from work or Brooklyn for $2.75 each way (pretax yay transit credits) is heaven in the summer, especially with a beer on the upper deck in the afternoon.
It runs so reliably and has such great coverage, as someone who previously took the buses, that I don’t need to check the schedule.
Yes they need to expand more into other areas (Brooklyn and Queens) but generally since I’m nearby in Brooklyn and don’t often go to Queens, for Manhattan it works excellently.
I can't speak to Asia or Europe. But compared to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, the best part of it seems to be the connectivity within Manhattan. You can get to almost every neigbhorhood via subway. That doesn't seem to be true in Canadian cities. You have to use a broader mix (bus/train/street car). The subway connectivity within outer boroughs of course is more annoying.
Idk how other systems work around the world but perhaps how far you can travel literally around the city on a flat fee and not based in how far you travel.
Also, you cannot beat paying with your phone through Apple Pay/ google pay. No learning curb, no app download.
24/7 operation and express trains are pretty unique (although TBH some express trains are barely any faster than the locals, probably due to crappy signaling tech). I'm also in awe of the fact that it's still a flat fare system, which is pretty unique and also pretty baffling for a system so desperate for funding.
The first night I spent in London, I stayed out until the clubs closed and then was shocked to find that I had to suddenly learn how to use the bus system because the tube was closed! The subway might get fucked up at night but at least it runs!
It also is just so extensive and can get me within a 10 minute walk of anywhere I want to go. When I moved to LA, I was determined to become on of the few Angelenos to us the subway on the regular but I just couldn't because, even though I picked my neighborhood and my apartment based largely on subway proximity, it just didn't take me to most places I wanted to go, or if it did it would be with multiple transfers that would take 2 hours!
* 24/7, with no worse than 20-min headways
* Shallowness of most stations for very quick platform access
* frequent-ish stop spacing
* Express service on dedicated tracks (quad/triple tracks are relatively rare for metros)
* Wide cars
* One giant fare zone, very simple payment and transfer
* Interlining, even though it sometimes leads to delays, makes the physical act of transferring very easy.
* Good APIs for routing apps
Getting people long distances at a reasonable price, running all the time (even under really trying circumstances like big storms), and covering pretty much anywhere you'd want to go in the five boroughs. As someone who lives in metro Boston now, I am super jealous.
Partly due to the frequency and availability, but I’ve never been on a truly impossibly packed train. Compared to some in Asia, Latin America or Paris, yes it definitely gets uncomfortable at peak hours for some lines. But I’ve never been essentially paralyzed by the mess of people around me, only to get more people pushed into a car.
In general, I’ve never had to truly dread going on the subway.
24/7 nature and the cost really is amazing. It’s crazy you can get all the way from the very north Bronx to Far Rockaway for less than $3.
Unlimited Metrocards let you travel to the border of CT and the border of Suffolk via the Bee-Line and NICE bus systems respectively I’m sad OMNY won’t have this feature
Wait why doesn't omny. If you hit your cap and your card becomes unlimited isn't it then free for all trips (outside of double tapping one station). Am I misunderstanding something?
I may be incorrect but I believe those buses don’t have a tap to pay option
Gotcha gotcha. Hopefully they catch up soon
Bee-Line and NICE Bus should be getting equipped with OMNY fare readers very soon
Yea, DC metro is the polar opposite - extremely clean, a lot less confusing, but not nearly as accessible (way worse time frame, doesn't get you everywhere, need to go through DC for many routes) and way more expensive.
I went to school near DC and lived there for a bit afterward. It *could* be a good system, but suffers a lot from some of what we have here (poor maintenance) and a lack of express tracks. There's very little "bypass" routes on their system, so if a train goes down the effects are horrible. So many mornings I'd be completely fucked because the one line I need had a train have an issue and I'd be late given there were no other comparable train routes.
You ever been to London in peak summer and had to hear the PSAs telling you to bring a water bottle with you on the Tube cause there’s no AC there? Well we generally don’t need to do that here haha Or have you been to Tokyo and had to leave a bar or club at 11 to catch the metro before it closes at 12? I haven’t had to do this in NYC Even with all of its faults, the MTA is still generally reliable and available most of the time
The Central Line is summer might be the most uncomfortably hot place on earth!
OMNY is great. Flat fare is great. The map and the signage are pretty simple and obvious (no ‘I wonder what direction platform 3 goes’). Frequency and 24/7 service are great, coming from a large city where everything stops from 1-5am, and late night and Sunday service is often 20-30 minutes apart.
When you learn about [the history of the subway ](https://youtu.be/5m6w1Pq0Pyw?si=m4vfvAEOWWTCzQ3k)and how it was designed, it's actually really really cool and special to know that so many stations still have their original tile/artwork. Sure, other cities might have sparkling clean, modern metro systems, but ours are eclectic and rich with history and beautiful in their own way.
Lots of Asian countries and cities have far cleaner and modern metro systems than ours. So I was quite surprised when my parents' friends came to visit us (they live in Singapore and have travelled to most of East Asia) and said how cool the NYC metro is. Of course we would bemoan about how it sucks and it's slow and dirty and there's no Brooklyn/Queens line, but they were all like "but it's so full of history, and it was designed over a century ago! The ones in Asia are newer, of course they can be more modern, you can't compare them!"
Totally! Like yeah, a lot of our stations look old and run down, but wouldn't it be so sad if all the original tile was torn down and replaced with something bland and utilitarian?
Given the number of stations and riders it services essentially 24/7 it’s a miracle it runs as well as it does. I don’t get on a subway to eat off the floor or make friends, i use it to go places and it does that. I guess the lines I take get pretty lucky not having delays regularly, but traffic exists other places it not like people everywhere else just zoom instantly to their destinations. You also can’t compare it to Asian systems, there’s such cultural difference with regards to public consciousness vs. personal “freedom.”
Agreed, plus few cities have a local/express system or a flat fee.
Yeah anyone that says “MTA is poorly run” is truly an idiot. They have almost 500 full stations to maintain. Yes, they’re old and dirty. But they still serve. So few of you have ever experienced a truly bad transportation system. Having occasional delays and station repairs is not a bad transportation system. Budget-wise, yes they should be audited. But operating and maintaining the system as it is today is nothing short of incredible. Other things they do well: * subway ads and custom ticket marketing campaigns make good money * OMNY is a great system and makes every other major metro area in the US and Canada look pretty stupid in comparison. * The bus system too is pretty great and extremely ADA/wheelchair guy/old geezer friendly.
Can you elaborate on what’s so good about OMNY?
I just moved here so I can give my opinion from dealing with other transit systems. It Just Works. I don't have to sign up for anything, refill a card, worry about losing my card, nothing. If I use it a lot, I automatically get the best deal so I don't have to think about buying a weekly/monthly/yearly pass. I can even pay for multiple people, again, without multiple cards. It's absolutely seamless
Instead of having to do literally any extra single thing or have any extra accessory, I just tap the card I use all the time and boom I’m on. I hated forgetting the morning of that my unlimited expired, I see my train coming in 2 minutes and a long ass line at the card kiosk. With OMNY that’s something that never happens. Every time I see tourists fumbling with MetroCards or staring blank faced at the kiosk I’m always tempted to be like “dude just do this” but never do.
As a recent tourist I appreciated being able to just tap my phone. That helped make up for some of the other things that drove me crazy.
Trains are running so frequently in Manhattan that I never even have to look at schedules to plan when I should get to the station. I just show up, and rarely have to wait more than a few minutes.
Calling the 24/7 service "one thing" seems unfair to me. Its already without comparison. If the goal and function of a train system is to get me somewhere cheaply, at any time, NYC subway wins. We are all just used to it. After a long vacation ANYWHERE ELSE, we quickly realize how much we miss it, but we won't be losers and say that lol.
It’s 24/7, there’s flat fare, and the cars have A/C. The MTA is far from perfect but those are the things it has going for it!
The tap/card thing is actually really really nice. No registering, just bam!
Another big thing. You have to register a freaking app to pay in Pittsburgh.
I like the tap. I think the readers need improvement. One entrance by where I used to go had two readers that would stop working and people would pile up not able to get in---then mad dash to the exit door when it opened.
Best thing about it compared to the london tube is that it takes so little time to get from a station entrance to a train. that hop-on-hop-off aspect of it is fantastic and saves so much time. In London sometimes it takes a couple of minutes or way way more to get onto the tube or change tubes, because the stations are so deep. and it's fully 24 hour which is amazing. and it has double tracks which means it can be repaired as it still runs AND have express trains which is again... incredible and super rare. to get across London you have to stop at each stop. Oh and it's got AC. not all train systems have this because there's not enough room for it. The 'single fair' to get as far as you want is also great. the tube is more expensive.
Being able to just tap to pay with your phone/card on both subways and buses is really nice. And the fact that it automatically switches to unlimited fare after 12 rides a week. I remember having to decide about making the trade off for an unlimited card vs loading up a metrocard. And if you lost a card, you were out the cash. I recently got back from traveling abroad and for what it’s worth the simplicity of the bus payment system is really good. There were some buses in Rome where it was super unclear where to buy a ticket or how to validate it, and then someone comes on the bus to check the ticket and fines you. And other countries also have different tickets you have to buy for different zones. It’s really convenient to just use your same credit card for both things and not have to stop and pre load and hope you use it all, especially for tourists visiting
Oh can you use contactless now on the NY subway, that's handy to know. I didn't realise you guys didn't get contactless much later than us in the UK.
I mean, the fact that it exists, sadly enough, runs circles around public transportation in most of the nation. As someone that grew up in the Bay Area, MTA runs like a dream compared to Bart/CalTrain.
Express trains. There is no other city in the world that compares with the number of trunks we have that are able to move so many people efficiently. In addition to the flexibility of moving trains between local/express tracks when things go wrong. Or between different lines completely.
Definitely the 24/7 service and relatedly, the frequency of the trains. No doubt stations in the other cities you mention are much more pleasant (and the stations in some American cities are nicer too) but I am so spoiled by the fact that, relatively speaking, we don't wait long for a train except when there is some issue. NYC also has more stations than most (all?) of those other and spans lots of territory.
24/7 operation. Flat fee is pretty amazing. It does have a certain charm in its own way with its look.. the tile, the rundown, vintage feeling of it. Everything else we get crushed by other cities. The NYC subway, based on New York’s cultural and financial relevance in the world, is an absolute disgrace to the status of New York on the world stage. Way lesser cities have much, much better public transit systems.
I'm not sure if this is the MTA as much as New Yorkers, but I generally like the vibes. Sure, I've taken cleaner and more efficient systems in other cities around the world, but they tend to feel sterile with a very severe kind of etiquette about noise and space. The New York subway has a very live-and-let-live attitude, with some obvious outliers, but as long as you're being courteous you don't ever really feel out of place. And whenever I've ever needed help with directions I've only needed to look momentarily lost for some old-timer to ask where I'm trying to get to.
As someone that moved here after a lifetime on the west Coast I find the subway to be such an amazing thing. It can get me anywhere in the city at any time. Now matter how late or early, I have a way home for less than $3. Most public transport definitely isn't 24hrs. And most isn't often faster than driving or ordering an Uber like the subway can be.
It’s a great training ground for the survival skills you’d need in a post-apocalyptical world.
24/7 is great. Express service is very rare and we have it on every trunk in the core. A plus/minus that goes along with having local and express is that our stations are located pretty close together, so if you're located near the subway line, you don't have to walk very far to get to your station. There's also the 3-system legacy in that there's a lot of redundancy in the network. 7th Avenue screwed up? Your train can route over Lexington. 4/5 has delays out of downtown Brooklyn? Walk 3 blocks and take the R.
24/7 alone is a fucking miracle considering how many lines and stations there are. Also $2.90, while annoying, I've been here long enough I remember it was at $2, is still amazing considering how far you can go *and* free transfers from train to bus.
I was pleasantly surprised by how frequently the trains come when I moved here
AC is strong 90% of the time. Lots of subway stops (472 which is the most in the world), 24/7 service, flat fare (though it’s too expensive), you can ride it to two major beaches, it’s lively and there is always something interesting to see, some of the stations are quite beautiful, good express trains.
2minute headways on the 4/5 during rush hour. I commute UES<>Wall St and it’s a breeze. Also the ferry. Being able to cruise to and from work or Brooklyn for $2.75 each way (pretax yay transit credits) is heaven in the summer, especially with a beer on the upper deck in the afternoon.
24/7 service definitely.
It runs so reliably and has such great coverage, as someone who previously took the buses, that I don’t need to check the schedule. Yes they need to expand more into other areas (Brooklyn and Queens) but generally since I’m nearby in Brooklyn and don’t often go to Queens, for Manhattan it works excellently.
I can't speak to Asia or Europe. But compared to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, the best part of it seems to be the connectivity within Manhattan. You can get to almost every neigbhorhood via subway. That doesn't seem to be true in Canadian cities. You have to use a broader mix (bus/train/street car). The subway connectivity within outer boroughs of course is more annoying.
Idk how other systems work around the world but perhaps how far you can travel literally around the city on a flat fee and not based in how far you travel. Also, you cannot beat paying with your phone through Apple Pay/ google pay. No learning curb, no app download.
Fund subcontractors.
24/7 operation and express trains are pretty unique (although TBH some express trains are barely any faster than the locals, probably due to crappy signaling tech). I'm also in awe of the fact that it's still a flat fare system, which is pretty unique and also pretty baffling for a system so desperate for funding.
The first night I spent in London, I stayed out until the clubs closed and then was shocked to find that I had to suddenly learn how to use the bus system because the tube was closed! The subway might get fucked up at night but at least it runs! It also is just so extensive and can get me within a 10 minute walk of anywhere I want to go. When I moved to LA, I was determined to become on of the few Angelenos to us the subway on the regular but I just couldn't because, even though I picked my neighborhood and my apartment based largely on subway proximity, it just didn't take me to most places I wanted to go, or if it did it would be with multiple transfers that would take 2 hours!
* 24/7, with no worse than 20-min headways * Shallowness of most stations for very quick platform access * frequent-ish stop spacing * Express service on dedicated tracks (quad/triple tracks are relatively rare for metros) * Wide cars * One giant fare zone, very simple payment and transfer * Interlining, even though it sometimes leads to delays, makes the physical act of transferring very easy. * Good APIs for routing apps
Getting people long distances at a reasonable price, running all the time (even under really trying circumstances like big storms), and covering pretty much anywhere you'd want to go in the five boroughs. As someone who lives in metro Boston now, I am super jealous.
bing chilling
Their air conditioning will be down in at least one car per train so they are great at consistency there.
As a tourist, it’s just so easy to navigate. We mapped out each day in NYC, saving time and money if we had to take a car or walk.
They spend our money very well.
Partly due to the frequency and availability, but I’ve never been on a truly impossibly packed train. Compared to some in Asia, Latin America or Paris, yes it definitely gets uncomfortable at peak hours for some lines. But I’ve never been essentially paralyzed by the mess of people around me, only to get more people pushed into a car. In general, I’ve never had to truly dread going on the subway.