In Manhattan. It is a different story at JFK or, say, Astoria. Or weekends.
But that is not the issue here. I am not saying that NYC has a bad subway system - it does not. All I am saying that even at is best, the US has been incapable of creating a transit system as good as the French did, or even the Brits. Certainly not for the lack of technical ability, bit rather for the lack of political will. And it is not only because of the frequency of trains but above all, area covered by the subway system. If you live in the bowels of New Jersey or even Queens or Brooklyn, you may take a long bus ride before you see a subway stop.
Wojtek