Stemming off of another thread - I have done both over the years. Pretty much what always determines which I do depends on what time I start my hike and how confident I am with a plan.
If I am starting my hike at 11pm on a Friday night and want to hike 3-4 hours I will pretty much always park at the beginning and shuttle at end of the trip.
If I am starting a hike with an unrealistic expectation of mileage I will part at the beginning and then I can get picked up wherever the plan goes out the window.
If I am starting a hike in the AM and have a realistic plan, I will typically get the shuttle done at beginning and park at the end.
No matter what my plan is, I am always very transparent with my shuttle driver so we are on the same page. I keep them up to date of my progress up until the point that their job is done.
Out of all the shuttles I have setup, I have only had 1 no show no call never to hear from them again....That was a guy out of Front Royal, VA.
I can not think of any shuttle drivers that were late.
To add, I have gotten many shuttles at the beginning of a trip, only to have to bail half way through and get another shuttle back to the car. Getting a shuttle at the end of the hike eliminates that double shuttling.