Outside of a handful of American cities, public transit is mostly used by the poor, which can include a lot of "undesirables", and many people used to their "quiet, safe" suburbs feel deeply uncomfortable around the poor in general. In some cities, public transit is used as a du-facto shelter system by the homeless.

It's funny when people see celebrities use the subway in NYC. It's just accepted by New Yorkers that the subway is usually the best way to get around Manhattan and getting mixed in with the entire socioeconomic spectrum is normal. But the crowds of people is also a kind of security blanket if something does happen.

Crime rates are actually lower on transit than in a car: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1077291X2...

The perception of crime and danger is strangely very inverted

I did mention “perceived” and also included shouting in my list because of that, but I could have been clearer.

Also, the set of people who feel unsafe by just having somebody who’s noticeably poor in their proximity definitely is not empty.

Staying in your bubble is way easier if you avoid public transport and walking on the street as much as possible.