Well there are just three options, over Alpha under Alpha or don't build it because of the cost. The airport should achieve 18 million passengers without it so the question then becomes is it actually needed or is it needed for passenger levels when above 18 million?
The real issue with the shuttle bus is that it is run for profit by the rail company. A service that was free has been charged for now for a number of years which slows down the transit times by a considerable amount. Also the charges were originally introduced when the service was upgraded to high capacity bendy buses except only one now is in service at the moment out of four buses.
Have a close look at the centre section of one of the replacement buses that I took a photo of yesterday while I was waiting for my daughter bearing in mind that it is now off peak November. It was packed out with standing passengers who stood there for around 8 minutes before the bus moved. This is just one of the reasons why Luton comes out bottom in passenger surveys.
