There is definitely a difference between having to drive vs riding to work. However, commuting time is still a waste of time vs WFH. My commuting time today is about eighty minutes. That is eighty minutes less I have to spend time with family at home. Eighty minutes less I have to get a daily workout in. Eighty minutes less to play on the internet or video games.

You are correct about the usage, but the problem is the cost, mostly as it relates to rail transit. Are you willing to pay $500/month for a monthly rail pass? That is likely the level of user support many mass transit systems need to actually pay for themselves. The highest cost monthly pass for the Charlotte system is $176.00. Yet it sounds like the system still needs more money: https://charlotteledger.substack.com/p/transit-time-cats-needs-staff-and

The reason mass transit is commuter focused is because that is where the bulk of the ridership will come in a city like Indianapolis. We just don't have enough density for the more costly systems to be viable with half or more of the focus being to take people to get food, go to a park, etc..