Bah! As an upstate New Yorker, I object. New York is quite expansive and not that densely populated outside of NYC. If you actually live in a place, a long-distance bus isn't of much use, and most communities don't have commuter buses. CP3S is right about communities not being "isolated." In up-upstate NY (the "North Country"), it is very sparsely populated - but still largely connected by highways.

It's not like people bounce around between NYC, Albany and Buffalo. It's a matter of driving 15 minutes to the grocery store in one direction, 30 minutes to the mall in another direction, work is 20 minutes to an hour away in another direction, and there are any number of errands along the way you need to make a quick stop for before continuing to your destination.

I grew up in a small town, while not "isolated," has no public transportation. Many a summer was spent riding bikes down the street, watching tv, waiting for the zombie apocalypse or anything to happen. Aside from a couple of convenience stores and library, there wasn't anywhere to go without driving. I'm not surprised Bingo's travels didn't go to the many communities like mine, since there is no economic rationale for trains and buses to go to them.