Photo by Jordan Barab

Metro has ranked first on a list of best cities for public transit, comparing 136 metro areas across the country. Yep, you read that right: we are number one. The rating comes from New York-based SmartAsset, which published a strangely similar list of the best mass transportation systems in America just last month. On January’s list, though, the District was nowhere to be found.

So let’s review what’s happened between then and now to make Metro suddenly rise to the top: A man allegedly exposed himself on a Green Line train, six teens were arrested for brawling on the Red Line with a 35-year-old man, a report showed that Metro ridership has decreased significantly, Metro’s second in command resigned, a man was shot at Anacostia Metro, and more.

What they did consider, though, were these five factors: average commute time for transit users, percentage difference between average commute times of car commuters and transit users, percentage of commuters who use public transit, total number of commuters who use public transit, the difference between the citywide median income, and the median income of transit users.

So, basically, Metro topped the list because it somehow has shorter commute times than other cities, covers a lot of ground, and is accessed by people of all economic backgrounds.

That’s great, but still … a forthcoming report conducted by consulting firm McKinsey & Company shows WMATA as a system of “plummeting ridership, unreliable rail service, railcar maintenance delays, and unsustainable finances,” according to WAMU.

So while it’s nice to have taken the lead on a list created by an outsider, District residents might prefer a reliable transportation system to a meaningless prize.