People who need VTA to get to work came to realize during that several month's shutdown that VTA did not see dependability as one of its primary functions. It was fortunate, if that's the word for it, that the shutdown was during a time of very low transit usage. Indeed, the reason given for the shutdown is horrifying especially when caused by an employee with access privileges. But so was 9/11 and other urban disasters over the years.

It's well known that suburbia cannot have a usual transit system that remotely makes costs. And presently wouldn't even if the vehicles did not require an operator. But much of the area is urbanizing. Further, transit has quantifiable benefits like less traffic, emissions, land area used for cars, etc, that could be at least approximated for us to keep in mind when we see transit system's operating numbers. Transit may actually be more economic than it appears. Not planning transportation, including land, when urbanizing will be an expensive error. Already the overall costs and times needed are making backbone transit construction less and less possible. The costs of BART expansion to San Jose are an example. Running Caltrain to the new SF transit center will likely never be done.