Comment by OneMorePerson

I think you and the person you are responding to are saying the same thing?

I don't think they literally meant public transit can't be profitable in any scenario, they meant that it takes a conscious choice to put money into transit with the intention of reaching some second benefit, which is a pretty good comparison to this topic too.

The public transit by itself is a money loser compared to alternatives, but by having it in place you get other benefits that make it worth it overall.