After a 3 second google search for --percentage of population with access to public transportation--
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/publictrans.htm
" <snip> Public transportation is available in approximately sixty percent of all rural counties nationwide, for a total of about 1,200 systems (Stommes, Brown, and Houston, 2002). About two-thirds of rural systems operate in single counties or are city/town in scope; only about one out of four rural transit providers operate in a multi-county area. About 60 percent of rural transit providers are public bodies, and roughly a third are nonprofit agencies; only five percent are private companies or tribal entities. <snip>"
60% obviously isn't a vast majority, but it certainly isn't "The reality either way you want to cut it (percentage of population served by public buses or percentage of land area served by public buses) it's incredibly small."
Also, I found this tidbit from here- http://www.unitedweride.gov/1_128_ENG_HTML.htm
"In 2001, on average, American households devoted 19.3 percent of every dollar spent to transportation expenses. This is the second largest expense category – more than three times the cost of health care – adding up to $7,633 per family annually just to get around. Housing, at $13,011 per year is the only category that exceeds transportation as an expenditure." (Surface Transportation Policy Project, July 2003 )
--Apparently my $1300 estimate, even for the handy guy who does his own wrenching, looks woefully low.
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