Transit in North America is failing because it exists without being tied to any discernible or measurable purpose. Like nearly all postwar transportation investments, it has moved from being a means to an end to being an end unto itself. And as an end, it is an afterthought, an appendage to a dysfunctional auto-based transportation system. If public transit is to have a real purpose it can fulfill, it must separate itself from the underlying auto-based system and stand on its own as the primary wealth accelerator for maturing urban areas.
