Excellent points. I fear we have totally lost price signalling in transportation in general. Some will make the point that comparing the profitability of cars

Excellent points. I fear we have totally lost price signalling in transportation in general. Some will make the point that comparing the profitability of cars to buses isn't fair because cars still ride on subsidized roads. Very true. That trend began because it wasn't possible to charge a driver per road he used -- tons of toll booths just wouldn't work. But, times have changed. Things like EZ-Pass allow for totally automated toll collection. I would like to see drivers charged per use of roads just like bus and train riders are charged per use. Then we can start comparing apples to apples on transit. Plus we can get the pricing right by charging enough to make each system un-subsidized. My guess is that cars will still be far and away more popular, but the consumer's choice would be the final proof.