To identify the coherent paragraph, we need to examine how each sentence relates to the topic of urban public transport trends. Let's analyze the sentences:
1. Urbanites also have more and better options for getting around: Uber is ubiquitous; easy-to-rent dockless bicycles are spreading; battery-powered scooters will be next.
2. When more people use buses or trains, the service usually improves because public-transport agencies run more buses and trains.
3. Worsening services on public transport, terrorist attacks in some urban metros, and a rise in fares have been blamed for this trend.
4. It seems more likely that public transport is being squeezed structurally as people’s need to travel is diminishing as a result of smartphones, video conferencing, online shopping, and so on.
5. There has been a puzzling decline in the use of urban public transport in many countries in the west, despite the growth in urban populations and rising employment.
Analysis: Sentence 5 introduces the core issue: a puzzling decline in urban public transport usage in the West, despite population and employment growth. Sentence 3 explains potential reasons for this decline, such as declining service quality and increased fares. Sentence 4 offers a structural explanation, suggesting reduced travel needs due to technology contribute to the decline. Sentence 1 supports the idea that alternative transportation options are emerging, which could also explain the decline in public transport use. Sentence 2, however, discusses an unrelated concept – how increased ridership leads to service improvement – and does not fit the overall narrative of declining public transport usage. Therefore, the sentence that does not cohere with the others is:
When more people use buses or trains, the service usually improves because public-transport agencies run more buses and trains.