I am not sure the elephant in the room has been mentioned, but the reason why so many people prefer to drive instead of transit is not just because it usually takes much less time, but because of our climate. Not very many people want to walk 10-20 mins in -10 or in snow, and then wait for their ride to arrive in that temperature, if there is an alternative available. The reason why it works in Europe is because their winter is much milder than ours, save for the Scandinavian countries.
Mass transit only works in big cities like Toronto, where you generally don't have to walk very much to find the subway/street car/bus stop, you can travel in tunnels or buildings for a good chunk of your walk, and the transit is running frequently enough that you don't have to wait too long.
Mass transit only works in big cities like Toronto, where you generally don't have to walk very much to find the subway/street car/bus stop, you can travel in tunnels or buildings for a good chunk of your walk, and the transit is running frequently enough that you don't have to wait too long.