NYC system is not slow, nor unreliable. Yes, dirty-ish but I'd trade some hygiene for reliability, 24/7 access and speed. It's also not expensive especially if

NYC system is not slow, nor unreliable. Yes, dirty-ish but I'd trade some hygiene for reliability, 24/7 access and speed. It's also not expensive especially if you work in the city and get a pre-tax unlimited card. It also costs way more than $100/month to own a card in NYC.