&gt; only really poor people and crackheads seem to take the bus (outside SF and NYC)<p>Note that you chose the top two of the cities in the US in terms of locations accessible by public transit. Of course people won&#x27;t use it if it can&#x27;t get them where they need to go, and they&#x27;ll probably just drive if there are only a few locations it services. This tends to compound itself because the low usage means trains&#x2F;buses run less often, making it even less useful (e.g. LA).<p>The price of car ownership definitely factors in, as it results in a lack of necessity for public transportation, but it doesn&#x27;t mean people wouldn&#x27;t prefer it if it&#x27;s available. The price difference between an unlimited metro pass ($116&#x2F;month in NY, $83&#x2F;month in SF) and owning a car is still very wide.