Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not bad mouthing public transit! I don't have control over how I feel from riding them is all. And I cannot put my trike and trailer on a bus, either. Nor can I ride an upright bike, because of my inner ear problems. That is why I invested in the trike. Much more feasible.
I'm just working around all the limitations, and so far, so good. I rode to Laguna Seca the other day from home, about a 21 mile round trip with a few good sized hills, given the place is at elevation. They were having a huge bike expo there, the Sea Otter Classic. It was great to ride around and look at all the bike products and get free fuel... heaven.

And you are right about it often being faster to bike, my daughter had to wait for her bus, so we left at the same time, and I still beat her home, even at my easy pace. For long distance, bus is good, I've take them to San Jose airport and I do like trains. I miss New York for that reason, they always had great public transit.