To people who want to make the case for buses and cabs, I have one question, how is this actually better? By definition, it's still considered public transit,

To people who want to make the case for buses and cabs, I have one question, how is this actually better? By definition, it's still considered public transit, but you are subject to the same traffic patterns and congestion as private cars (admittedly, an additional expense). Subways and Light Rail avoid this mess entirely. Not that there aren't still problems (Signals, PTC v Permissive Blocks, etc.) but you're much less likely to be stuck somewhere for long periods of time not moving.