Daniel: To put it simply:
More people using alternative transportation modes = less people using cars = less congestion = cleaner environment,
JK: Cleaner how? Hybrid cars use less energy (pollution generally follows energy usage) than buses or light rail (per passenger-mile), so it would seem to be best to spend money subsidizing these instead of an energy hog like mass transit (comparatively speaking.)

Daniel: healither economy and
JK: how does slowing commute time (transit is usually slower than driving) improve the economy?
see: DebunkingPortland.com/Transit/BusVsCarTEDB.htm

Daniel: more sustainable communities.
JK: How is the higher cost of transit compared to driving a car more sustainable? (Trimet users only pay about 20% of their actual cost, not counting light rail construction)
How is the higher energy usage of transit, compared to hybrid cars, more sustainable?
See: DebunkingPortland.com/Transit/Cost-Cars-Transit(2005).htm

Thanks
JK