[riffic]

this (mini-buses, dial-a-bus as it was known in the 70s) was one of the patterns in Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language

https://www.iwritewordsgood.com/apl/patterns/apl020.htm

> Establish a system of small taxi-like buses, carrying up to six people each, radio-controlled, on call by telephone, able to provide point-to-point service according to the passengers' needs, and supplemented by a computer system which guarantees minimum detours, and minimum waiting times. Make bus stops for the mini-buses every 600 feet in each direction, and equip these bus stops with a phone for dialing a bus.