Interesting. I have presumed the current routes are pruned due to a lack of ridership, and extra busses added due to high ridership. Not that entirely new routes are added by any means other than a top-down decision.

I would like something more like the ride sharing apps. I enter my location, destination, and time requirements. Then at some future point when a useful route exists, I will get a message.

Even better would be an ephemeral route the is created when a minimum number of riders have interest along some shared part.

I don't imagine the ephemeral routes being a thing until self-driving busses are cheap and reliable.

I share your timing fear. In the twin cities many routes only run up to 3 times a day in a certain direction. An unexpected issue at work, and I am jammed.