'Dr. Yago has done a great service by clearly delineating the deplorable state of public transportation in the United States. His book provides a powerful motivation for, at last, bringing American public transportation up to the level which is common in other industrialized countries.' Barry Commoner, Center for the Biology of Natural Systems

'At last, a book that explains transportation planning and technology in terms of class power and interest group politics. A must for anyone interested in the past and future of cities.' Chester Hartman, Institute for Policy Studies

'This book is the product of careful, at times rich and meticulous, research, combining in unusual fashion, historical, statistical and case study approaches. Its topic is important and of current interest, and it contributes to scholarly literature not only about transportation and urbanism, but also about the state and public policy more generally. It persuasively tries to move beyond ecological and technological determinism in accounting for the major changes in public transportation in Germany and the United States in this century. Overall, Glenn Yago succeeds in presenting a gold mine of information about transportation issues.' Ira Katznelson, New School for Social Research