Yet, that is exactly current public transportation policy. They cut routes and services as they see fit.
Those very people you care about then are left with nothing.
A private transportation market would serve those very people for less money, without federal interference in local matters, and without the absurd and cruel distortions that government intervention creates.
There is a private transportation market in nearly every urban area: the local taxi system. Persons who cannot drive for whatever reason often use it when a bus is not available. It is expensive due to its capacity, of course, so it is not by itself a solution.
In one moderate size city that was considering a public transit system, I advised the council to consider a voucher system for citizens to use the taxi system. In this case it was the most economical way for the city to address the needs of citizens who could not drive. The mayor objected, saying that the city might have to pay for someone to go to the liquor store. My response was “do you ask a citizen who complains about a pothole whether he was going to the liquor store?” The council rejected the voucher system and went with a fixed route transit system which has struggled over the years to establish its target ridership (due to a low urban population density) despite the city putting in far more money than it would have with a voucher system. And the routes go by most of the liquor stores, as well!