[DB_in_Cbus]

You're just in luck - I lived in London for 4 years and now am in Columbus. Columbus and London are very similar is a lot of ways, but where they differ greatly is the highway system. You're never more than 2 miles from a freeway in Columbus, so getting around the city is very easy. Add that to the fact that the city is very laid-out (London is much dense, and the neighbourhoods run together), and public transit is basically a non-option for most of the population. Public transit has an advantage in London because there are no highways, so most times there's little time difference in taking a bus or taking a car (unless you're going to Hyde Park, or somewhere else equally distant).

There's also a strong stigma against public transit in most mid-sized American cities. It's seen as something that poor people do, and poor people are "natually" criminals, so many people see using public transit as an outright danger. I don't agree of course, but many of my friends do.

I've noticed very little difference in the bus system between London and Columbus. The busiest Columbus route is even the number 2! The crosstown buses here would be the equivalent of the 2 or 13 in London. The local routes run every 1/2 hour or less, too, so it's very similar to London.

Interestingly, there's a movement in Columbus to either bring back a street car or Light Rail. I really think though, because of the highway system (you can get form downtown to the outer suburbs in 15 minutes), it simply wouldn't fly. London is much more primed for light rail simply because of the lack of highways.