They are literally your neighbors, so why not bring each one a cup of coffee, get to know them a little bit, and then you can get them gifts they actually need based on knowing who they are. What would you do for the person who lives next door to you?

The word is ableist.

My point is that you are clearly not considering the people you so obviously don't know in your nice bubble.

You started your post with DUH, and I matched your energy in kind. I did not describe my own circumstances, merely thought about some that do exist and are regularly ignored. I’m merely pointing out that what you think is ‘out of the box’ is actually quite narrow and excludes a lot of people.

My sole point is that the metro rates are too expensive and the system is not reliable enough. My experience has shown me that it’s reasonable for many in situations like mine to choose driving due to these factors. I don’t know anyone who is going out to buy a $10k used car to avoid riding the metro. Do you?

So “those people” are a lot of people, and a lot of “those people”, which clearly does not include an an ableist person such as yourself, can’t ride bikes for a range of reasons. Do they also not deserve affordable and far-reaching public transit? Isn’t that the point of this conversation? Have you ever tried to take a 12- and a 14- year old to a doctor appointment at children’s national from any other part of the city on a bike? Or on the Metro? Or walking? Do you want to tell them why they need to take the day off work because it’s gonna be a two hour trip on the bus each way? Would you like to explain to a person who makes $15/hr in that situation why the Uber they need to take from SEDC costs $25?

Widen your perspective a little, yo. Your remarks are showing your privilege.

Well, once upon a time ten years ago I bought a car for $3k. I didn’t live here at the time, but I’m still driving the car since I moved here. Feel free to compute.

It’s worth noting that if one has children or elderly dependents, it’s not always an option to eliminate a multi-passenger vehicle for a variety of reasons.

Not that it’s any of your business but some people save up and buy decent used cars for not a lot of money. Some people also buy used clothes and don’t have credit cards. Crazy, right? Doesn’t change that $10/day for public transit from the closest semi-affordable suburb is too high a rate for many.

Car payment is avoidable. Going to work is less avoidable.

My workplace has parking. If it’s full, the zone 3 ticket would be prohibitive for sure. That brings up another factor: I have to leave before 7 AM or I’m not guaranteed to arrive on time via metro. The delays are way too unpredictable, so I need to leave time for those. Typically when I do drive it’s because I haven’t left by 7 and can’t trust I’d arrive by 8:15 due to unforeseen delays (this includes the walking parts, tbf).

That is false. It costs me $10/day to go from Rockville to Cleveland park. Driving that distance does not cost $50/week, not even factoring in insurance, maintenance, and gas. I use the metro now because it’s ecologically better, not because it’s affordable. It really isn’t.