I did see someone pooping once. The train car cleared out pretty fast. I also got threatened twice during rush hour. When I first moved to NY, I tried talking to the good people at the counter ... never made that mistake again. After a bit, I just started taking cabs. I did encounter traffic jams periodically but felt a better experience overall. Btw .. I also have respect for NYC cabbies. They are the opposite of Bay area cabbies. I try to not use Uber when I am in NY. Anyways ... the NYC subway sucks when compared to international standards. If you travel a bit internationally, you'll know what I'm talking about.