Why do people prefer cars over public transport?

AvaddonLFC ☄️ 🤘@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 178 points –

I'm 25 and I don't have a drivers license. I mean, I've never really felt the need to go and get one. Public transport is usually the fastest option where I live, and it takes a lot less responsibility to use it.

But most people would still prefer driving, rather than using the public T. Why?

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Transportation comes in 3 simplified steps. It needs to start near where you currently are, it needs to connect to where you need to go, and it needs to stop near where you need to go. For drivers, as long as there is parking at both places and roads to take you between, you can go at any time. From a USA perspective, poorly funded transit may have 15-30 minute waits and you may not even have the option depending on where you live and are going. The political and social will isn't necessarily there in most cases to drive transit frequency down to say 5 minutes and building out robust rail networks. I would love to take transit to work for example, but it would be a 4 mile bike ride crossing a main highway/stroad so its not very feasible for me to get there except via car or if I am brave enough on an ebike. And if am driving anyway, it becomes a choice between faster car travel or less stressful train travel (and cost of more driving vs the train).

From my perspective, cars are the jack of all trades, master of none of the transportation world. They can do everything you need them to, which is likely why they became so popular. But they don't inherently do anything you need better than other options, they just might be your best option depending on the infrastructure around you.

Also started a Transit community @transit