You've nailed it.

I work in Seattle. Before I moved there, I lived and worked in Oregon, in the Valley. I grew up with working public transportation, with buses that were affordable and ubiquitous. The school that I went to, Oregon State University, came to an agreement with the city that it was in, and they cooperated to make all buses free within city limits. Yes, even for non-students and non-residents.

Portland's transportation is great, and Seattle's transportation is great. Every time I visit the Bay for work, I cringe, because I know exactly what to expect: Hours of trains and buses if I don't want to rent a car. It's utterly ridiculous.