>Some cities or states have more issues on public transit than others.

Sure, but that doesn't change the stats.

>But also you can still be a victim of assault, harassment, theft, and other issues on public transit.

As can you in a car.

>Many of these issues also go unreported or don’t get counted in official stats if not accompanied by a formal police report or whatever.

They use estimates for unreported crimes. I trust the institution to provide the best possible data.

>So it doesn’t tell the full story of what people’s real experiences are.

Do you think there's any chance in hell that actual deaths / injuries on public transport even begin to approach those in cars?

I think people in this thread (and elsewhere) are using "unsafe" to mean "I feel uncomfortable" rather than "there's a serious chance that harm will come to me".

Law enforcement in liberal cities might overlook public urination or petty theft by the mentally ill, but they come down hard on violent crime. Truly violent people are not allowed to roam free on public transit. There's definitely some weird people though, and our society is segregated enough that most rich people probably can't tell the difference between a violent weirdo and a harmless one.