Like do they just guesstimate where they’d see the most use?
It’s all AI and ML using predictive models for the most efficient route planning that caters to the maximum possible population with the least carbon footprint…just kidding, it’s a guy in a basement somewhere flicking his boogers at a map and deciding if those spots are good enough for his boogers then they’re bloody well good enough for bus stops
OP you should play Cities Skylines 2 (the original is good too if you have an older system). Then you can design your own bus routes and learn for yourself. It seems like the kind of game that would be right up your alley.
Estimated usefulness compared up against practicality. Of course you want it where people are, and at yhe same time you want the bus to be able to stop without obstructing traffic.
Probably put them where the people are standing around in the morning.
They observe the bus in its natural habitat, making notes of its hunting paths, and place bus stops along its feeding grounds where the prey congregated.
In my city they have a planning commission. They take into account local studies, population patterns, future construction, and ridership data. They plan out the bus routes and stops and then they have a period of public comment. If there’s a need for a new stop, residents can petition their local representatives and join commission meetings to make suggestions. Stops are usually eliminated or consolidated when ridership data indicates they’re not necessary during annual reviews.
