MBTA Ranked As 2nd Best Public Transit System In US By New Study

BOSTON (CBS) -- A new ranking of public transportation systems shows Boston way up there, much to the surprise of many riders. The rankings were compiled by WalletHub, a personal finance website.

They put Seattle at number one and the MBTA at number two, the second-best out of a hundred cities.

We wanted to know how riders rank the T. Just a few responses included:

"Maybe about 50."

"I would say Boston's like 89."

"Twenty-eight."

"Eighty-two."

But WalletHub ranked the T much higher. Researchers there looked at factors like convenience, safety, and reliability.

"Boston ranked particularly highly in terms of accessibility and convenience. Right now, a third of its commuters use public transit. The average commute time for transit users is just under 40 minutes and that's actually one of the shortest in the country," Jill Gonzalez of  WalletHub explained.

And to be fair, some riders gave the T a break. "I ride the T every day. It works for me," said one rider.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has been critical of the T's fare hikes and reliability problems. "Any time you have a report that says you're number two or one, it's always a great report, but I think the people of Boston that take the subway every day don't necessarily feel that every day," he said.

The T seemed happy with the rankings. A representative cited the billions of dollars earmarked for a better system and said in a statement: "The MBTA is working around the clock to make the major improvements necessary to consistently maintain reliable and safe service."

After Seattle and Boston, the rankings show San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin as the next best systems. On the bottom: Charlotte, St. Petersburg and Indianapolis.