After just a few weeks in Madrid, Christine, an American exchange student, was ecstatic about the city’s subway system.

“One of the first things I noticed was Madrid’s metro is much cleaner than New York’s. . . .  I haven’t seen a single rat yet! There are no fishy odors coming out of the cracks, and the floors still have their original color, without a shade of brown. And it’s so cheap!” she remarked in an online comment forum.

While Americans might be surprised by public transportation abroad, they don’t need to be told that our public transit here in the United States is coming up short. It’s a grueling reality they face every day.