New York City may be home to the largest public transportation system in the country, but it sure isn’t the most reliable. And trust us—that’s not just our jaded opinion!
In a new study from Wander, the luxury travel rentals site analyzed the most accessible cities in the U.S., factoring in the amount of wheelchair-accessible attractions, walkability, internet connectivity and reliable public transport.
Spoiler alert: New York City’s MTA wasn’t named the most reliable public transport in America. No, the most reliable public transportation system, according to the study, can be found in Boston.
With 41.45 stations per 100,000 people, The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, otherwise known as the “T,” is the nation’s oldest and most reliable subway system.
Overall, the T offers 162 bus routes, commuter rail services, ferry connections, and paratransit options. Although NYC’s system is much broader than Boston’s, with 472 subway stations, over 300 local bus routes, paratransit options, a tramway and a ferry system, it’s iconically known for its unreliable service. Despite New Yorkers’ need to be the best at everything, even we must admit it’s true.
In fact, New York City’s least reliable subway line was only on time 65.1% of the year. Systemwide, the subway trains were only on time about 82% in 2024.
However, even with the most reliable public transport, Boston still didn’t place in the top three most accessible U.S. cities. Those prestigious spots went to Detroit, Michigan, Baltimore, Maryland, and Seattle, Washington, in that order.
As for New York City’s accessibility, the Big Apple didn’t even place within the top 10. Instead, Houston, Texas took fourth, Dallas, Texas in fifth, Denver, Colorado in sixth, Louisville, Kentucky in seventh, Nashville, Tennessee in eighth, Washington D.C. in ninth and San Antonio, Texas and San Fransisco, California tied for tenth.
Apparently, New York City’s ADA-compliant rail stations and attractions, walkability, mobile download speeds, and elevation range were no match for the top 10 cities above when Wander used the PERCENTRANK formula in Google Sheets to assign each U.S. city an accessibility score out of 10.
You can read the full study on Wander.
