do you have any north american examples of scattered towns in rural type states? how was their ROI, what makes a transit system successful. What type of vehicles did they use? is it private or public? do they target older people more or younger people? Does it work on Ribbon development or more of community type development better?
The closest thing to "transit" within many rural communities is a shared-ride taxi service. Even this requires a public subsidy to make it attractive to a limited number of users. As for intercity service, this is provided by Greyhound and other bus services. A few places have other public or private systems. For example, Colorado ski towns are so expensive that ordinary workers can't afford to live there. Instead, they live much further west along Interstate 70. There are some buses that run back and forth.
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Look at Rides Mass Transit in southern Illinois.
http://www.ridesmtd.com/
In Puerto Rico, and on an off island I visited called Vieques, they have these 12-15 passenger vans, about like an airport shuttle bus or smaller, called "publicos", that run little routes on a rough sked. You just stand out on the road, and if one comes along he picks you up, and you pay what he charges for where you want to go.
Chautauqua County has a CARTS system which consists of small 10/15 passenger buses that travel on a limited basis on regular routes, primarily during "rush" hours. The routes run, I believe, between Jamestown and Dunkirk and Jamestown and Mayville (county seat) plus a few more routes around Jamestown itself (largest city, pop - 30,000).
There's also the STAR service for the elderly and disabled which picks up clients at their homes, takes them where they want to go, and then returns to pick them it again for a fee. It's kind of a public taxi service.
Most people who don't have cars who live in the COJ, walk or rely on taxis or friends with cars. People in the rural areas basically depend upon the kindness of friends and/or neighbors. The Amish frequently hire neighbors with minivans to take them shopping to Gowanda, Jamestown or Warren, PA, but in the smaller towns with larger nearby Amish populations like Sugar Grove, PA or South Dayton, NY, the merchants provide hitching posts/shade/shelter for the Amish horses.
There's also Trailways (like Greyhound) bus service to Erie, PA.
Pemberton Valley Transit System. (Whistler). Another resort-based rural transit example, but apparently it's quite successful.
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