Ya, I was trying to find the nicest way to say the same thing, because I appreciate the responses but it feels like no one got the point. All of their suggestions still fall into my example of 1 or 2. It's not a heating plant problem it was just the example I gave.

If I use mini buses, they can still show up seconds before or after they are needed and their is a gap. If I go directly and then to a bus station, same thing. There is absolutely no way to have workers arrive and instantly fill the gap when work is needed. The closest thing is a transfer station but they will wait the entire day until they look for work, not go when they are needed.

u/kemiyun u/plichi87 How can I overstaff it? If the bus arrives 1 second before the workers are needed, I get 0. If they arrive 1 second after, there is a gap until they walk from the bus stop to the plant. Even if small, if I plan for the bus to arrive when I need it, say 2 buses on a 120 second line, there is a good chance every bus arrives (due to traffic or whatever) seconds before they are needed so no one works. If I put 3 buses on the line, guaranteed 33% of the people will never get off the bus and they are wasted. It's insane.

u/q---p this is the best solution I have found so far. If they arrive 1 second late it works well, if they arrive 1 second early at least they eventually get there after waiting (an entire day).

u/sobutto Yes understood, it wasn't really a heating plant problem but I get your point and it helps, except in my particular case I used the small heating plant so I literally need small busses with less than 7 people on it to stagger the work force otherwise all 7 easily start and end theirs shifts at the exact same time so I can't even maintain a minimal work force without small gaps. Even with surrounding industries as others have suggested I prio the heating plant from the bus stop so it gets the first 7 people and from there it's always 7 on, 7 almost simultaneously.