(light music) - [Narrator] Japan's train system ranked by Statista is the most
efficient in the world. The U.S. though is far behind. It's tied for 11th best. Roughly 15 million people ride the subway each day in Japan's capital city, around 11 million more daily
riders than New York subway. We compared the Tokyo and New York subways to find out how Japan's rail system got so far ahead of the United States. Take a look at this map of
New York City subway system. Now, compare that to Tokyo's
map, a key distinction where the public transit
connections intersect. In New York, public transit
commuters into Manhattan likely only have these
options to disembark. Japan's map has more points of connection. - What's really distinctive about Tokyo and actually Japanese
cities more generally is they all interconnect. - [Narrator] Commuter
rails connect directly with city subway tracks, which reduces congestion
and unnecessary transfers. - If you just ride the train all the way out to your final destination, you don't have to be paying attention to your transfer station. You just fall asleep and you know when you're gonna wake
up near your station. - [Narrator] These easy commutes are key for the 2.4 million people traveling into Tokyo daily
from outside the city. On top of that, Tokyo Wides
only need one of two cards to pay for most public
transportation systems, not just in the city, but
also in many parts of Japan. And in New York- - You have to often have a different card to get on any of the ridership system. It's not like an integrated
pay system or governing system. - [Narrator] So you have to
use all these different tickets to ride the public rail systems. In some cases, these separate
rail systems are the result of different jurisdictions
that oversee transit. The subway, for example,
is owned by the city and leased to the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, better known as the MTA,
which in turn is controlled by the New York State government. And New Jersey Transit, which
connects to New York City, is run by the New Jersey
Department of Transportation. While New York doesn't
have fully integrated public transit connections,
some aspects are improving. First is payment. - We now have the ability to pay with a credit card when
you go into a subway, so you don't have to have
a special metro card, which will be made obsolete eventually. I think the goal is to
eventually have one fee in one rail system, and that
will pay you through all of it. - [Narrator] Then there's
the profitability. Other than in 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo Metro, the largest subway company in
the city, has been profitable. Compare that to the MTA, which historically operates at a loss. Its outstanding debt is forecast
to hit $47 billion by 2026. A key reason for this difference, central government funding. Japan heavily invests in
public transportation. The national government owns
about 53% of Tokyo Metro, and the Metropolitan Government
of Tokyo owns about 47%. - After the second world war, there was a continuous investment in the public transit system, which is primarily the
subways, the JR system, and the private commuter rail
systems that all interconnect. There's never been a let
up in continued investment in adding lines and
making them work better. - [Narrator] The MTA, on the other hand, is not owned by other private companies. Its funding comes from multiple
places, including taxes, the city and state governments,
and some federal funding. The MTA also makes money by selling bonds. - It's one of the top issuers of municipal bonds in the entire U.S. - [Narrator] One of the
largest buckets of funding for both the New York and Tokyo Subways comes directly from riders. In Japan's capital, companies have flexibility to charge more. - It's all fair by distance, so you get your fair at the end. - [Narrator] So depending
on which system you take, the cost for riders can be
anywhere from 170 to 430 yen, which converts to about $1.27 to $3.22. The main New York subway fares are flat, though the LIRR and Metro
North prices vary by zone. - Right now, about 40%
of the MTA's funding comes from the fare box, from what the riders pay to ride. That number has gone down a lot, which is why we're
redoing the funding model. - [Narrator] Because
many white collar workers have worked from home since 2020, there have been less riders
and thus less revenue. This has worsened the
MTA's financial situation. To help fill the funding gap
and account for inflation, prices will increase slightly from $2.75 to around $2.86 later this year. In Japan, public
transportation has a reputation for being staunchly on time. In 2017, one commuter
rail connecting Tokyo to Tsukuba famously apologized for having a train leave 20 seconds early, but the Tokyo Subways
can face some hiccups. Tokyo Metro post delays
from the past 35 days. In April of this year, several train lines were running about 10 minutes late. In New York City, delays are common. In 2022, New York City
passengers waited an average of an additional 64 minutes on platforms cumulatively each month, as well as an extra 18
minutes on the train. But the MTA says that's an improvement. - We have right now the
best on time performance of our subway system in over 10 years. It may not be up to Asia's
standards, but for New York, it's really a great step
in the right direction. We have an old system, so there are things that
go wrong mechanically. You have a huge system of
switches and interlocking, which require a ton of maintenance. - [Narrator] Japan's history of investment in public transportation gives Tokyo the upper hand for its rail system. - It would take years, if not decades, of very significant investment
in the New York subway system for it to match the levels of efficiency as the Tokyo subway system
because they've been working hard on that for the last 60 years. (light music)
