The solution is to get past the idea that public transit needs to be profitable, along with any other public or government service. The idea is just asinine.
Especially since we don't make any assumption that roads are profitable. It is just insane. Cars can lose as much money as it takes but god forbid a train lose 5%.
Yes. Very few profitable roads.
Not true. In the early 20th century, the American automobile industry fought aggressively to divert public funding away from public transit and towards building roads, precisely because it increased their profit margins.
That’s a profitable middleman due to roads, not a profitable road.
The US's obsession with profit via public service -and everything else- is asinine and embarrassing.