These North American cities have the best public transit systems

Many New Yorkers would be surprised to see the Big Apple clinch the number one spot, considering the delays and disruptions that have plagued the subway system. But Arcadis notes that the city has one of the most intricate subway systems in the world. New York has also initiated some large projects, like Port Authority's $32.2-billion capital plan dedicated to bus terminal improvements.

San Francisco's score was a bit weighted by its green energy initiatives, like its electric vehicle incentives. But it also had high marks for access to public transit and general upkeep. It could stand to improve on rider connectivity and the number of people actively using public transit.

Since we're down to the final three, Vancouver scored solid marks in most categories. It did particularly well when it came to the upkeep of its public transit system.

I used Montreal's underground subway service recently and was pleasantly surprise with how fast and easy it was to use. It's very easy to get the hang of because all of the different lines connect in a logical fashion.

Arcadis gave it high marks for rider connectivity and general upkeep. It had lower marks than others for its hours of metro accessibility and general access to public transit systems.

Washington scored low on the "people" category because of the lack of access to public transit and low rider connectivity. It did score well for commuting time and its green initiatives.

Boston recently launched a GoBoston 2030 plan designed to increase public transit and address the city's growing population. It's also redesigning streets to accommodate for rising sea levels and add more greenways.

Arcadis said that January 2017 marked a big milestone for Chicago's transit infrastructure. It received a $1.1 billion grant to modernize its 100-year-old transit corridor. It's also installing 4G wireless services throughout its subway.

Miami stood out when it came to public finance, affordability, and efficiency. But it had one of the lowest marks for "uptake of active commuting," meaning there's still room for the city to encourage the use of public transit systems.

Toronto had high marks for the upkeep of its public transit, bike infrastructure, and electric vehicle incentives. It had room to improve on efficiency and public finance.

Philadelphia scored pretty evenly across the board. It scored particularly well on the efficiency of public transit and affordability. There's room to improve on factors like upkeep of public transit and access to services.

Baltimore earned the highest marks in the "planet" category, particularly when it came to efforts to reduce congestion and pollution. It did not score well on accessibility to public transit or connectivity.

San Diego earned high marks for its green energy initiatives and the affordability of its public transit services. It scored low on factors like upkeep of transit systems and general accessibility to the different lines.

Los Angeles is a surprising addition considering its known as a city for cars. The city consistently has the worst congestion of all the cities in the US.

Arcadis commended its projects like its Active Transportation Rail-to-River Corridor that will turn 1.9 miles of underutilized rail into a boulevard for bikers and pedestrians. LA also received higher marks because it has 1,300 charging stations for electric vehicles.

Arcadis says New Orleans clinched the 14th spot because of its efforts to revitalize public transit following Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans now has nine transit lines that offer 24 hours of service. The city also launched an online ride-share network called GeauxRide for people who live in areas that don't have easy access to public transit.

Seattle earned high marks for its green energy initiatives and bike infrastructure. It didn't fare as well on the "profit" category, particularly when it came to public finance and the efficiency of its networks.