To find the equation of a linear function that models the relationship between the number of miles (x) and the total cost (y) of the shuttle, we can use the given pricing structure:
- The base cost is $15.
- The cost per mile is $0.50.
Therefore, the total cost (y) can be expressed as the sum of the base cost and the cost for the miles driven:
\[ y = 0.50x + 15 \]
This means:
- \(y\) is the total cost,
- \(x\) is the number of miles,
- The coefficient \(0.50\) represents the cost per mile,
- The constant \(15\) is the fixed base cost.
So the correct answer is:
y = 0.5x + 15, where x is the number of miles and y is the total cost of the shuttle.