A few things about public transportation. Busses are cost effective.
All other methods? Subsidized more per seat-mile than cars (via road/highway subsidy).
No one wants to ride a bus, more might find trains cool, but they all lose money (not just in the US—it became clear in our high speed rail discussion that HSR in Germany was subsidized by the government—the parent company profits because commercial rail (hauling freight) IS very profitable.
The light rail in LA is so cost ineffective that all the lower income riders could be given a new Prius every 5 years, and have all costs associated with operating it paid for, and LA would still save money. Japan's rail system is also a known problem in terms of cost.
Nice idea, but it needs to at least break even with fares including a subsidy no greater than that given to roads per seat-mile traveled.
The US is also so spread out that public transport is very difficult. Take the train from Santa Fe to work in ABQ, and you then need to get from one of the 2 train stations to everywhere else—and the bulk of town is miles away at right angles from the rail line (and way too steep for trains).
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"Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one." — Thomas Paine
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