I find a lot of people adapt their lifestyles to their transportation options and vice versa. I know of people who live in Boston without cars and they're mostly just not inclined to leave the city as much unless they're doing activities with friends who have vehicles. On the other hand, all the people I know who do a lot of activities outside the city own cars--and even tend to move out of the city over time.

Bus coverage in rural areas of the UK is variable but it’s on a completely different level to the US where I now live.

The high school I went to growing up had people travel in from all over the county by public transport (train and bus). I certainly wouldn’t choose to live in a rural area without a car but people did!