My subconscious files subways, even ones I'm not familiar with, as comfortable/safe.

Likewise, though train is more the organizing bucket for me and subway is a dependent category. For bus comfort level, for me it's per agency. And I appreciate and use transit despite having a car and (often though not totally consistently) knowledge and means of how/where to park it. I think some polling runs afoul of the issue you note--did the person like transit before covid.