...so much sprawl that their public transportation options are often longer to take than driving.

It has to be good for people not just in saving gas but in saving reasonable amounts of time as well. If it takes you an hour to drive from point A to B but an hour and a half to get there by transit, chances are you're going to drive.

I think public transit needs to be mainly funded by the public. Just because someone doesn't use BART to commute to work five days a week doesn't mean they won't use it for other things.