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[quote user="schlimm"] Looking at the whole of the US is a meaningless endeavor.  Why?  Pretty obviously only metro areas would ever have a need for public transit. Certainly small town and rural America do not. And only in metro areas where a comprehensive transit system exists is it possible for people to use transit.  But the numbers of metro areas offering such services have grown in recent years, as have the scope of transit modalities available within them.  I am sorry that sam1 has had such an unpleasant experience with public transit, i.e. sitting by people with poor hygiene, people shouting into cell phone, etc.  But for many of us who have used public metropolitan transit regularly or less often, that is not the rule. And yes, transit discussion should be on the Transit forum, but what's so terrible about this thread crossing that line?  After all, both are concerned with transporting people by a public agency.  And in the case of some commuter lines, the distance rivals intercity: NYP-Montauk; NYGC-NH; CHI-Kenosha; CHI-Elburn, to name a few. [/quote] Agree that public transit is more relevant in major metropolitan areas than in the outback. Nevertheless, as I noted with respect to Dallas, with which I have more than a passing understanding, only three to five per cent of the population use public transit. Moreover, of the modes of transit services offered by DART, more people use the HOV lanes than any other form of public supported commuting to and from work. Here is what it is like to take transit in Texas. Keep in mind that I rode the bus to work in Dallas for more than 30 years. In the winter, waiting for a bus, even is one can time it reasonably well, is a bone chilling experience.   The wind comes whipping off the plains and sends a cold blast of air through every layer of clothing that you can put on.  And in the summer, when the temperature hits 90+ degrees every day by noon, waiting in the sun for a bus, especially when it is running late, which is frequently, is like being in a sauna.  This is why a relatively small percentage of Texans use public transit.  And of those who do in Dallas, at least, according to the figures supplied to me by DART, 45 per cent of the bus riders have no other option and 23 per cent of the light rail riders are in the same boat. So, with respect to the largest metropolitan areas of the U.S., i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, etc., what per cent of commuters use public transit to get to and from work.  Even more interesting, what percentage have a choice?  That is to say, do they have an alternative mode of transit or is their only option a bus, train, etc. I trave extensively. Amongst other things I am in San Francisco six times a year. It has an excellent public transit system.  Nevertheless, I am impressed by the number of cars that pass my hotel each morning and evening.  It is located on VanNess near Lombard.  Admittedly, this is not a analytical analysis. As to the argument that only metro areas need public transit, every city in Texas with a population of more than 75,000 has a modicum of public transit.  Shoot, my hometown of Altoona, PA has a taxpayer, supported bus system.  The only people who use it are aged, infirm, and relatively poor.
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