I used to take a 5-hour bus from Fray Bentos to Montevideo once a month for meetings.
I am one for public transportation and walking in cities, so moving to Montevideo offers an environment that I'm more accustomed to seeing in New York City.
Most capital/major cities have major transportation systems, so Montevideo is following an international pattern by having one.
And because Uruguay is such a centralized country – half of the population lives in the capital – it makes sense that most of the resources are available to those living in the capital.