Author is very focused on "vs the elites" topic. However, the strangers comment is about safety. Even the quote used from Musk states that one of those stranger

Author is very focused on "vs the elites" topic. However, the strangers comment is about safety. Even the quote used from Musk states that one of those strangers could be a serial killer. That's not an elite-only concern. Staying alive and safe is a pretty basic need that has little to do with socio-economic status. The question is whether the fear is more widespread in those more fortunate is debateable, but mass transit does have that weakness. From pickpockets to mass robberies (recent BART events for example) to acts of terrorism, when you have a concentration of people, they are vulnerable to being targeted. There are also questions of hygiene - I once had to sit next to a person covered head to toe, including face, in some sort of orangish dust, minus the outline of the goggles he must have been wearing, probably from some sort of construction. I wasn't sure I wanted risk breathing that in, but it's a public space. Still, health is not an exclusively elite concern. We have asbestos laws for a reason, for example. I would love to use mass transit that went close to where I want to start/stop (5-10 min walk), went in reasonable intervals (5-15 mins), was safe, reliable, clean-ish and cheaper than a car (with parking, maintenance, ins and all other expenses included). The only really good point the article makes that is often missed is the distinction of crowded vs overcrowded. Not everyone should get a seat, but those who need it, should.