They absolutely are not The solution but even if a gargantuan government project to make America a public transport-first country started today (and god knows the political will is not there yet), people would need SOMETHING to use which isn’t as directly awful as traditional ICE vehicles during the many years it would take to switch us over. I want to live in a nearly 0 car world as much as you do and absolutely support political causes which bring us closer to that, but figuring out what to drive on these awful roads we have everywhere is a question that we can’t avoid answering.

Even with the absolutely best infrastructure (which few places in the world have because it’s really hard to build and maintain) public transport will still mean lower comfort for vast majority of people that use cars now. People in cities with frequent connections and many, well places stops already use public transport. Everyone else will prefer a car as long as they can afford it. People will not choose public transport if it’s a bit less comfortable for the good of the planet.