That's not entirely true. In many cities, minimum wage is substantially higher ($12-$15/hr) than the Federal minimum ($7.25/hr)
> in big cities > So you have to have a car and car insurance
Not in big cities.
I'm saying this as someone who previously had a 1 hr 20 min commute via public transit just to go 16 miles, and that was with the relatively good public transit in the Portland metro area and me literally living a block away from main downtown transit hub.
Name five big cities where a average-wage worker can get by without a car and car insurance.
No demand, no program. Ride a bus in a large city, and you'll see a majority of bus pass users.