There are a lot of misconceptions about public transit, despite its critical role in getting people around.

It's a $55-billion industry in the U.S. and a system that has been stretched by record-high gas prices and ridership levels not seen since the 1950s even as a troubled economy reduces funding nationwide.

The American Public Transportation Association says the long-term trend is clear: Ridership on the nation's buses, subways, commuter rail lines and other transit systems grew 34% in 1995-2009, outpacing 23% growth in the number of vehicle miles driven on highways in that period. The number of workers who rely on transit regularly grew by a million, to nearly 7 million nationwide, in 2005-09.

As state and local leaders explore setting up a regional public transportation system to help stabilize and ultimately improve service in southeast Michigan, they'll have to battle misunderstandings about public transportation: