the plant would never pay for a shuttle bus because that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. It's easier to hire people that don't require it.
Maybe lobby the local government to change the route of local buses to be there could be easier, but that might be difficult. When I went to high school, the local transit company suddenly changed the timetable to start the bus 5 mins before the end of classes, with the next one after 45 mins. Everyone complained, but they didn't budge, that bus couldn't start 5 minutes later because reasons. The solution was that everyone bought a gas-powered scooter and went to school with that, because waiting 45 minutes after school for the bus is unacceptable for any teenager