There's a huge lag between building transit and it being able to cover its own costs.<p>Truly, it's our zoning laws that have sunk the American city.  There are no good transit routes because everyone is living in cul-de-sac neighborhoods a half-mile from one another. There's no mixed-use zoning, so home, work, food, entertainment -- essentially <i>everything</i> -- is miles away from everything else.  Thus the routes are intractable to build gradually and a critical mass of ridership disinterested until you have effectively a <i>complete</i> network on offer.<p>Most US cities simply can't afford to run a money-losing transit system for two or three years.  Even if you gifted them the money to build it.