Public Transit Is Underfunded Because the Wealthy Don’t Rely on It

[danriker]

2. There are many reasons.

Rapid transit systems do not have widespread support because most people, outside of NYC, have cars. When the parking fees are added to the fares, public transit in many cases is not less expensive, and it is far more inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Many of our cities are so spread out that transit lines are only in convenient distance of a significantly low portion of homes of the population, or of where people need to go.
Here in Portland, OR, the city with the oldest continuously operated street car system - from the 1890s, with rapid transit, many bus lines, very good bike routes, etc, only something like 11% of the people use it.
I think the answer is a combination of electronically-controlled highways with high speed rail systems. The technologies now exist.