Summers in Gainesville are hot and humid. Sweat beads on the brow, and the heat feels heavy. Then there’s the high possibility of being caught in the torrential downpour of an afternoon thunderstorm.

Oliver Flanagan has been using the regional transit system since he was in eighth grade, but he may not have a way to get to work by the end of this month. “I can’t personally drive,” he said. “I am ...