Why Did America Give Up on Mass Transit?
It Can Be Summed Up In Just ONE WORD, but I'll let this JULY 4, 1970 Byron, Georgia USA performance from JIMI HENDRIX do that:
I was fortunate to also see James Brown several times. He would often say: Can I Do My Own Thing?......
Mass Transit, outside of extremely densely populated areas in the United States WILL NOT WORK, as it will be a HUGE WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS with very few riders.
Sad to say, but it definitely is opposed by most towns & cities because it provides for a near zero ridership cost for the destitute and undesireable homeless population transportation to and from. With this destitute and chronically homeless population, you undoubtedly have some folks with substance abuse problems and then more than a few with long criminal histories. The general consensus among communities is that they do not want to facilitate the back & forth migration of this element. The general accepted view in the USA is that quality paved roads, streets, expressways, highways & Interstates ALLOW ANYONE AT ANYTIME DAY OR NIGHT TO GO WHERE YOU WANNA GO..... and THESE ARE ALL TOLL FREE ROADS, so all one needs is a car. Any car produced since 1940, is capable of minimally doing the job, so the generally accepted view is that "EVERYBODY CAN OWN A CAR". Sure keeping an old cheap POS car roadworthy can be challenging but it is not impossible. Many folks that work at the same company or work at sites near each other do CARPOOL to work. The cost of obtaining a drivers license in every state is very very low. Certainly, title, registration, advolorem taxes, license plate fee can and do vary somewhat but are very minimal and affordable on vehicles nearly twenty years old. LIABILITY insurance is REQUIRED and your driving history record, age, geographic location and probably your FICO score will have a big impact on the cost. Now, unless you have TITLE (or complete ownership) of your vehicle, you'll be required to carry Collision/Comprehensive to protect the Lending Company that owns the car. NONE OF THIS IS TERRIBLY DIFFICULT. One is just expected to follow suit. Good luck, if you are relying on mass transit or a bicycle, moped, or motorcycle as your sole means of transportation to commute to work all year long. Mass transit outside of NEW YORK CITY and the Washington Dc to NYC train, etc, just isn't the most on-time. I'm sorry but if you're reporting to any workplace where it is a decent job and you show up late because of MASS TRANSIT, or because you are riding a MOPED, BICYCLE, or MOTORCYCLE and the wet/rainy weather was too dangerous to ride the bike, or motorbike safely to get to work on time. My reply to the staff at my company was, you can walk, ride the bus, ride a moped, bicycle, motorcycle, drive an old Triumph Spitfire, or old MGB, or whatever POS, but you are getting paid considerably more than at most similar firms and you all have College degrees so it is time to become a grown-up and wear grown up attire and get yourself to work on time. Don't come tell me that oh, my Jeep doesn't have a top and the windshield wipers don't work well, and it was pouring down rain this morning. You are getting paid well enough to afford a decent reliable car/suv/truck/convertible/sportscar. The same goes for something brand new that is constantly in the shop, and causes you to be tardy, as it is for, oh well the bus driver was behind schedule today..... Either way, do it too much and you'll be looking for a new place to work.