Rail station/downtown transit improvement?

I’ve written on this blog (back in 2016) and often to CDTA about the need for better service between downtown Albany and the Rensselaer Rail Station. My preference is for improvements to the regular bus lines that serve the station. However, CDTA recently announced it will be taking a different approach, an on-demand service between the station and downtown points of interest (most, if not all, of which are served by existing bus lines). The two big differences I see between this approach and improving existing bus lines – both negatives, in my view – are the need to download an app, create an account and request a ride, even if you’re only going to use the service once, and the cost, $3.00, double the per-cost trip of the regular bus. The photos on the CDTA web site show the service provided by a van, which presumably can pick up passengers right at the station entrance, a plus over the existing buses, which are too heavy to enter the station parking and entrance area, which also serves as the roof of the garage.
While I hope this service is successful and provides an option for some who have relied on more expensive ride shares and taxis, I still think using existing equipment, with schedules fine tuned to match more closely with the train schedule, would be the better option. The cost per trip would be half, and passengers could use the service without having to plan in advance, especially if tickets, maps and schedules were available in the train station. A covered walkway to the bus stop would make the walk to the stops on East Street less onerous, especially in bad weather. And any increase in revenues from the increased ridership could be invested back into those routes, creating a positive feedback loop that would benefit all riders, not just those going to and from the station.