In my own case, I live within about 1.5 miles of the nearest stop...Los Angeles bus ridership skews markedly toward the socioeconomically disadvantaged.
The only places that are more than 1/3 mile from the nearest bus stop are in the (typically more affluent) suburbs. The socioeconomically disadvantaged tend to live in the more densely-packed urban parts of town, where there are stops on every corner. The wealthier areas of the city (e.g. Bel Air, Beverly Hills (north of Sunset), Hollywood Hills, Malibu, etc.) have fewer stops, but also fewer riders. Basically, where the majority of the ridership lives, there are plenty of bus stops.
As for solving the last mile problem, I don't think it's possible to make it profitable. Public transportation is only cheap because of subsidies from the city. $1.50 for a trip, $6 for an unlimited day pass, or $60/month is a very cheap rate, and your target market is used to paying those prices. Even in a golf cart, I'm not sure how much you could charge someone to make it profitable. You're not going to convince me to pay you even $1 for a ride to the bus stop to take a $1.50 ride.
The only places that are more than 1/3 mile from the nearest bus stop are in the (typically more affluent) suburbs. The socioeconomically disadvantaged tend to live in the more densely-packed urban parts of town, where there are stops on every corner. The wealthier areas of the city (e.g. Bel Air, Beverly Hills (north of Sunset), Hollywood Hills, Malibu, etc.) have fewer stops, but also fewer riders. Basically, where the majority of the ridership lives, there are plenty of bus stops.
As for solving the last mile problem, I don't think it's possible to make it profitable. Public transportation is only cheap because of subsidies from the city. $1.50 for a trip, $6 for an unlimited day pass, or $60/month is a very cheap rate, and your target market is used to paying those prices. Even in a golf cart, I'm not sure how much you could charge someone to make it profitable. You're not going to convince me to pay you even $1 for a ride to the bus stop to take a $1.50 ride.