I agree that many towns have an issue with their shuttles but I suppose a lot of that has to do with how many drivers they can round up with CDLs to be able to handle those busses.  I think another issue is just that the number of busses they have versus the number of riders just doesn’t add up and I’ve seen so many occasions where people wait at a shuttle stop for a bus, it gets there, and then only a few are able to get on because the bus is already full and they are just told to wait for the next bus to show up. 

While the planning in some cities can probably use some improvement I think the issue is also compounded just by a lack of qualified drivers available.  And, that probably adds to the mess.  If they can only get X number of drivers to handle the shuttles that probably limits the number of routes they can offer, where those routes go, and how often busses will actually come by each stop. 

At this point I’ve realized after biking 50-70 miles a day I can handle another 1-3 miles biking through town to get to the various places I need/want to go.  May not be a solution for most but $20 on a pair of lights to see and be seen at night is better than the headache I’ve experienced waiting for shuttles before. 

And I agree, the volunteers are about as great as can be but I just think it’s the lack of them that hurts more than anything because that limits the amount of services that can be offered in each town.