European cities tend to be more densely packaged, even the small towns. Urban sprawl is a thing in the States. Only the big cities have reliable public transportation.
Let's say I wanted to go to Philly without a car, I'd have to magically teleport to the nearest train station, which is in Harrisburg, if coming from my college. Sure, I could call an Uber, but the expense (I think it would be $58-77 according to something I found online), it's a private taxi, which is usually the least cost effective means of public transit. Or if I left from my home, I'd have to go to the train station in Newark. I could also board a coach, but I don't know how much that is. Plus, the nearest SEPTA hub is in West Chester, which is about a 40 min car drive, again there's Uber, it helps if you have no car, but I think a bus system would be cheaper, but the bus systems are not expansive enough in the US.
But, when I was in Germany for a summer 2 years ago, the bus took me from the town I was in to the bigger city where I would spend most of my time. It was Idstein to Wiesbaden.
In America, the easiest means of transport is a personal car, despite the increasing ridesharing trends. You can do that too in Europe, but the public transit, at least in Germany, is a real alternative. Even walking and cycling works too, yes in the big cities, but also in the smaller cities and towns.
