[rootusrootus]

> the rest of the developed world, public transport extends out into rural areas

Are you by chance referring to Europe with this comment? I ask because Europe's idea of rural and North America's idea are quite different.

[tsudounym]

Switzerland has villages with only hundreds of people that regularly receive train service. There are states with similar GDP, size and density as Switzerland that do not have any train service. Don't think of the US as a whole, think of the individual states who easily have the budget equivalent of European countries.