> The amount of people who currently drive cars who think to themselves, "You know what would be better? If I were sitting on some form of public transit right now..."
You're looking at it backward. I think almost everyone who sits in traffic or nearly gets in a crash by someone doing something stupid thinks, "Driving is awful." They've just been conditioned to think there's no alternative.
They tend to think driving is awful under those conditions, but still better than not being able to drive. The thing with a car is that you can go anywhere at anytime where there's a road, which is virtually everywhere. You don't have to share the car with strangers, you can transport things in the car too heaving to carry in all sorts of weather.
The convenience is hard to beat even with good public transportation.
> you can go anywhere at anytime where there's a road
Yes, cars are a horrible implementation of socialism. Everyone pays for extensive roads networks and maintenance because cars are impossible to use without them. And then everyone pays for cars and maintenance because traveling is impossible without them. And car dealerships get rich scamming your mother.
You can go anywhere at anytime on foot, as long as somebody doesn't build a wall. Public transit isn't supposed to be door-to-door. It's about enabling true freedom of movement by connecting you across longer distances. Cars are about making all distances long.
more likely they think 'rush hour is awful' or 'traffic is awful', i highly doubt they would prefer to experience the same density of bodies traveling on the bus or train.
You're looking at it backward. I think almost everyone who sits in traffic or nearly gets in a crash by someone doing something stupid thinks, "Driving is awful." They've just been conditioned to think there's no alternative.