Where do you live that buses aren't running during most of the day? That just seems absurd to me. Buses in my city run at only slightly reduced (from the rush hour peak) intervals for the whole day

Agreed, I assume this is a very US centric viewpoint. Wherever I have been in Europe the schedule is basically the same throughout the day, with reduced frequency in the evenings. Potentially slightly higher at rush hours, but nothing dramatic.

Not sure why you are being downvoted.