It's tricky comparing public transport in your city to public transport in cities you visit as a tourist. Tourists don't travel during peak hours. They aren't as bothered (so they don't notice) a 10 minutes delay because they're not in a rush. They don't frequent residential areas so they may not experience the trickier journeys. A lot of cities are great from getting from suburbs to residential areas, but getting from one residential area to another is hard.