The article touched on smartphones, but I think missed a point - a huge part of the recent "acceptability" of public transport is that people have got something to do during their trip. In fact I kind of get the feeling people almost welcome bus/train trips now as a chance to get in some uninterrupted "phone time"! Previously, unless you brought a book, riding public transport meant a long look out the window. I think that's huge.
a huge part of the recent "acceptability" of public transport is that people have got something to do during their trip
In addition, it's now much easier to mix and match transport options: Lyft at one point, bike at another, bikes at a third. Many cities have also built out much more functional light rail systems. Denver is one good example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTD_Bus_%26_Light_Rail.
It still does mean this on the US public transportation crown jewel, the NYC subway, as there's no Internet in the tunnels. So, I still do bring a book or headphones. However, I think you still make a valid point: I certainly value the stretch of forced "chill out" time in the middle of a city that never seems to let up, whereas driving I much more often find to be stressful and aggravating (in cities at least).
It's kind of funny, more at the end of the day, and in my days off, I really enjoy driving.. even some heavy traffic doesn't phase me... It's when I'm trying to get somewhere by a certain time that it gets stressful...
The past couple years I've taken a 7-10 day road trip across part of the country... It's been very fun and relaxing. I'd much rather drive in a relatively comfortable car enjoying the scenery than flying, but to each their own.
