Private bus lines

With the price of commuting heading out of sight for many people the alternatives for commuting are varied. Those living close to a large metropolitan area have a better chance of finding mass transit or carpooling than those living in out lying areas with distances of 40 miles or more one way to work. It use to be that if commuting go to be too much for a person, either with the cost or the time involved the person could just move or find another job. Not so easy to do nowadays. Selling a home in this market would be crazy and finding another job is hard. So what else is there? Suck it up? I say this situation has opened up another door for a business opportunity.

Here is my idea:
If you have a van, why not start up your own mini bus line? You would need commercial insurance and a business license and not much else. Pick out a permanent travel route that would start early enough in the morning for most commuters. You would only need to run maybe 2 trips in the morning and 2 more trips in the evening. Figure out what the total cost of the fuel, your time, insurance, wear and tear on the vehicle would be per trip and charge the passengers either by the mile or by the trip. Make your passengers become regulars and charge them by the week or month - in advance of course. Add a bicycle carrier to your van or tow a trailer for bikes and that would encourage more riders to use your service.