This gets brought up on occasion but is worth repeating. In the US, with the exception of rush hour commuters going to work downtown, you cannot get middle class Americans on busses. They are considered transit for the poor. Light rail and trains in general, though, are acceptable to the middle class. Light rail is associated with cleanliness, urban renewal, and sophistication. Busses are loud, dirty, and polluting, and to some extent considered a relic of the past, I think, in addition to the class overtones.

you are the media you consume.