The US public transportation system is severely lacking so there needs to be a very high incentive for people to take it or a disincentive to take the car.<p>Public transportation is by design more inconvenient than taking the car because you have to wait for it and during rush hour be crammed in to a busy train.<p>However if the city has very good and fast public transportation it can still be better than driving the car and being stuck in traffic for hours.<p>London is a good example if public transportation done right. I can get anywhere by underground and bus way faster than you can with a car.