These "societal benefits", while surely exist (e.g. improved access for poor or elderly, reduced congestion), are far from clear. I don't think anyone has ever

These "societal benefits", while surely exist (e.g. improved access for poor or elderly, reduced congestion), are far from clear. I don't think anyone has ever considered any estimate of these when deciding whether to run public transit or not. We run public transit because we feel like it, not because of some cost-benefit analysis.