Another thing that helps is frequent service, so that it's faster to recover from problems like missing a bus/train, getting off at the wrong stop, or making a

Another thing that helps is frequent service, so that it's faster to recover from problems like missing a bus/train, getting off at the wrong stop, or making a transfer where the other bus/train is scheduled to depart just before you arrive. The buses where I live are on an hourly schedule for all but a handful of high-volume routes, and it's pretty much a matter of luck whether you can efficiently transfer anywhere but the main terminal.