One of Detroit's big problems is that the metro area comprises 3 counties and there isn't any regional authority. It's each county for itself. Wayne is where Detroit is. Oakland is where the money is. And Macomb is where the blue collar racists (oops, I mean "Reagan Democrats") are (I can say that because some of my best friends are blue collar racists). in 2016 we had a vote on a regional transit authority that could have changed the whole nature of public transportation around here. Wayne voted for it almost unanimously, because they want to be able to get to the jobs in Oakland. Oakland grudgingly voted for it, because white guilt is a thing. And Macomb voted against it, because, well they're Reagan Democrats. The measure lost by, ummm, almost the exact same margin as Trump's Michigan victory. Go figure. As an aside, I've been to LA many times, and it was like probably the 6th time I was there that I even realized they had a metro.