And in the category of nuh duh...
Public Transit inflation outpaces Car Use Costs inflation. We're in a recession. Transit is highly subsidized, and there is no money for those subsidies, so fares are going up to try to close the budget gaps. Also related to being in a recession, there is less demand for gas, and less demand for cars, so the costs to buy, own, and operate a car have remained flat or even come down. Why any of this would possibly come as a surprise to anyone is beyond me.