I'm pretty sure the basis is "You don't own a car? You some kinda communist?".
Large corporations don't react well to things that are unusual. Only 8% of US households do not have a car[1]. 1/6th of those are concentrated in New York City alone, home to just 1/38th of American households and the only American city where fewer than half of households own a car, the rest are scattered throughout the country, with smaller concentrations in various other urban areas.
Statistically, Americans have cars. I'd lay decent odds that if alister were in New York, though, he wouldn't have had any trouble.
Large corporations don't react well to things that are unusual. Only 8% of US households do not have a car[1]. 1/6th of those are concentrated in New York City alone, home to just 1/38th of American households and the only American city where fewer than half of households own a car, the rest are scattered throughout the country, with smaller concentrations in various other urban areas.
Statistically, Americans have cars. I'd lay decent odds that if alister were in New York, though, he wouldn't have had any trouble.
[1] http://www.bts.gov/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_natio...