I think a lot of "lower income people" rely on cars actually. It's often a misconception that those without a lot of money take the bus or whatever. Yes, transit works for a lot of them but the transit system in Waterloo Region is also pretty constricting. It can take over an hour or more to commute through this city if you need to take various transfers. I grew up working class and my parents didn't have a lot of money, but they also couldn't take the bus because it took so long. They had to rely on a cheap car.
If you're living in Kitchener and working in Cambridge in a factory or working in a store at Conestoga Mall, you can't waste 2 hours of your day taking various buses/the LRT as it's a huge time sink. It can be much easier to buy a junky used car that can get them around the city in 20 minutes. We can't forget that affordable does not always mean pinching every cent you can, it also means using your time economically which is especially true if you're not only working, but have second jobs, are educating yourself, have children to take care of etc.
If you're living in Kitchener and working in Cambridge in a factory or working in a store at Conestoga Mall, you can't waste 2 hours of your day taking various buses/the LRT as it's a huge time sink. It can be much easier to buy a junky used car that can get them around the city in 20 minutes. We can't forget that affordable does not always mean pinching every cent you can, it also means using your time economically which is especially true if you're not only working, but have second jobs, are educating yourself, have children to take care of etc.