The reliablility and practicality of public transportation really depends on where you live. In many places in Europe, it works great. In some large American cities, it is passable. But in a lot of American cities and towns with less than, I don't know, maybe 250,000 people, the public transportation systems just aren't good enough. Many cities just don't run enough routes, and others either start running too late in the morning, or stop too early at night.
