Yes, they do. But car drivers pay more than they think - it's easy to write off the fixed costs (ownership, depreciation, maintenance, etc) and just make comparisons on a per-mile basis, and to some extent it makes sense - you've already bought the thing, paid the insurance, and you're kind of stuck with the servicing.
But to do comparisons on that basis is a bit specious.
That said, I live in the arse end of nowhere, and life would be pretty much impossible without a car: you need a calendar to read bus timetables around these parts, and the only way to get from the bottom to the top of the county other than by (expensive and shit) First Bus is to take a train out of the county to the east 20 miles, and back in again, on lines where the best service frequency is two-hourly.
Other people like it - they say things like "nice car". It's enjoyable zooming around the place with the stereo up loud and the sunroof open (when it isn't raining), and as an indulgence, it's great. But I'd far rather be being a responsible human being and not pumping gunk out into the atmosphere and flattening the wildlife.
Since I have to, though, I'm determined to enjoy my car, and driving around in it. When they deprive me of that by providing a decent transport infrastructure, I shall, with some reluctance, do the Decent Thing and get rid of it.
