I remember reading an article in NewGeography (which is often a counterpoint to CityLab, so take both with a grain of salt) discussing the Los Angeles subway ex

I remember reading an article in NewGeography (which is often a counterpoint to CityLab, so take both with a grain of salt) discussing the Los Angeles subway expansion. LA actually saw declining use as the subway expanded, and this was mostly chalked up to lower income people being better able to afford a car and therefore not related to the subway expansion. However another theory was that LA subway expansion is often accompanied by gentrification near stations. This makes the train less accessible for low income people, who are most likely to use it. In this way public transit could increasingly be a luxury good, chosen for the lifestyle benefits (no fighting traffic) rather than economic necessity. For a very niche audience I think this is true, and this audience has a lot of overlap with startups.