Busism
Well-written article on why people hate buses. The point, nicely stated, is that there isn't an obvious or single answer to the question. Only a consistent theme from various surveys: People who have never ridden a bus hate buses MUCH more than people who ride a bus often.

One of the observations should give STA a clue. Get rid of the downtown Plaza which is a visible gathering place for "those awful bus-riding weirdos". In fact the Plaza regulars are mostly "awful NON-bus-riding weirdos", so they're false advertising for buses. But people who drive past the Plaza don't know this. They see the regulars, make a rational assumption, and form a rational prejudice.

The main point of the article strongly agrees with my experience. Twice in my life I could have kept a job if I had overcome busism.

1973, OKC. Car failed, and I couldn't afford to fix it. The bus line was damn near door-to-door. I could have walked a half block from house to bus stop, then two blocks from downtown stop to workplace. It would have been more convenient than driving, when you consider downtown parking; and it would have been cheaper on a monthly basis if not daily. I don't know why the bus was a totally unacceptable choice. At that time I didn't have any of the misconceptions listed in the article, and the choice of keeping my job should have overruled those misconceptions anyway.

1988, PSU. I had been walking to work, then stupidly moved a few blocks away to a location that was much harder to walk from. More hills. Again the bus was damn near door-to-door. I actually tried the bus once, found it was tremendously more convenient and less tiring, then instantly went back to walking.

Why? I simply fucking DO NOT KNOW. The only thing I can think of now is that I hated the jobs and was looking for a way to quit without seeming to make the choice myself. Absolutely crazy.
  ¶ 12:48 PM