You're right that public transit is inefficient for people living in rural areas, but 83% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas so to simply discount public transit as an "urbanist hobby horse" seems pretty hand-wavey.

You only have to look to other developed countries to see how fast, cheap, and efficient public transit is not only a major and driving force in the economy, but also a critical part of the social safety net. Just because America's public transit systems have been hobbled by the oil-industry doesn't mean we shouldn't be improving it for everyone's benefit.