That's actually not that far off from what many cities end up spending per-ride for lesser-used bus service The best way to reduce costs is likely to get more

That's actually not that far off from what many cities end up spending per-ride for lesser-used bus service The best way to reduce costs is likely to get more people to use the service, which will result in more trips being shared with more passengers. They could also look at usage data and consider developing fixed, regular routes which if done right will congregate more people into fewer vehicles