[superuser2]

A public transit system crosses the threshold from 100% useless to extremely useful at the instant that it's good enough to not drive.

Conservatives rig the game in most cities so that a small, infrequent, unreliable bus system is built. Then they can say, "Look, no one uses public transit here! This is a waste of money." And they're right, because it is a waste of money until you commit to a massive all-at-once expenditure in the hundreds of millions to billions. Which they won't ever let you do.

Government wants to half-ass things (excuse me, "pilot" them) but public transit doesn't work when it's half-assed.

[jcfrei]

I agree. Public transport has to be treated like a network. A network's usefulness increases with the number of connections it can make. A half-assed public transport system will never convince people and if it's done right it's usually very very expensive. Switzerland has excellent public transport, but only because much of it is run by a national, government funded enterprise (SBB) and is considered a matter of national cohesion (hence splurging so much money is accepted by the public).

[DennisP]

Once self-driving taxis are cheaper than car ownership, that all-or-nothing dynamic goes away. Start out using the taxis, switch to cheaper public transport wherever it's available.