Bollocks. In Australia, they've had extensive public transport for decades, and it was implemented when gas was relatively inexpensive. The reason the US doesn't have public transport, is because most metro areas in the west had tons of land when they were formed, and there wasn't a need for population density, leading to urban sprawl as everyone sought their own 1/4 acre. When that started to change in the middle part of the 20th century, no one had the forethought to implement public transport infrastructure. Now, the cost of that implementation is much higher than it used to be. In many places in the middle of the country, public transport is associated with the lower class and poverty, and the car is a status symbol and indicator of freedom. It's a mindset problem, not an economic one.