Shuttles are fantastic for their purpose.
They’re a disposable cost-efficient accessible and safe* way to travel for characters of any skill level. You can get them almost anywhere.
*They’ve got a couple of downsides such as vulnerability to smartbombs, but if you don’t make the mistake of carrying valuable blueprints these shuttles can get your character around easily even though bubbled space.
So other than 1-3, sure - they’re great. A Hecate (or similar) is still better for survivability though.
The Hecate would cost a lot more, would get caught by bubbles and in the end the Hecate would be stuck in whatever system I travelled to once I deathclone home so I’d have to spend time moving it back to some market, as they’re not cheap enough to trash.
Shuttles are disposable and can freely fly through bubbles.
I guess we’ve got different use-cases, but I love shuttles for what they do: shuttling my character to other systems. Cheap safe one-way trips that can be trashed after use. And they also fit easily in other ships that have spare 500m3 cargo so you can always bring along some of them in case you want to move your characters elsewhere without getting caught by a dictor along the way.
If you’re not looking to merely shuttle your character but are looking to transport valuable blueprints I would recommend spending some ISK on a safer transportation method.
A Hecate could do nicely in some parts of space but gets caught by the regular bubble camps, so a nullified exploration frigate or blockade runner would be safer.
#1 goes without saying, and is probably the biggest mistake people make with shuttles (and moving blueprints, specifically).
However, on points #2 and #3, I recently relocated several 3b-4b clones in otherwise empty shuttles through Ahbazon, and really didn’t think much of it. Smartbomb range is pretty tight, and you can avoid a hit ~90% of the time if you avoid warping gate-to-gate and instead use a bounce to come in off-angle. Granted, every once in a while you might get unlucky.
But if, for example, you’re going somewhere to plant a jump clone, and the quickest path is to transit through nullsec or a mix of null and low—a shuttle is a pretty good option. Like @Gerard_Amatin said, especially on a one-way trip.
But, but…I spent 15K on the shuttle, I demand invincibility.
Could be. Been so long that I needed one to use one… Strong stuff indeed these days! 
It is not advisable to smoke and fly without a permit.
Nor eat, especially not a wordsalad. On that note it’s best not to eat a wordsalad under any circumstance. 
Sorry sweetie! 
I like making perches above and below the gate so I warp to the perch then down. The bombers aren’t aligned to that spot so you’re perfectly safe. Another thing you can do is put a bookmark on the far side of the gate so you don’t end up in that 15km from landing window the bombers really like to hang out in, though that’s far less effective than the perch method.
I already have you
I do something similar in a few particular chokepoints. If I’m hauling high-value cargo, I use one of several perches off the gate on each end, and one of several bounces in the middle. So warping gate → perch → bounce → perch → gate. It pretty much guarantees I’m never where anyone would expect me to be, since I randomize between perches and bounces.
However, a setup like that requires a lot of prep work in advance. It’s something I only do for frequently travelled routes. For somewhere I just happen to be passing through, bouncing off a celestial works well enough most of the time.
It is most amusing, the sheep thinking it is clever
Your forum RP is cringe, btw. Every time you post, I picture a lonely, overweight man in his 40s pretending to be a teenage vampire girl. If that’s the vibe you were going for, then… grats?
That is not my comment or Pilot but you may throw those sort of comments my way please.
Don’t go picking on Fang., MmmK?
/Also Quafe drinks are OP
If you were a redhead, you would stand a chance!
I’m not picking on anyone. I’m trying to do Zaera a favor by letting them know their forum RP is cringey AF. Apparently, no one else has the decency.
And to be clear, I didn’t say they were an overweight man in their 40s with a teenage anime kink. I just said that’s the image their posts evoke. For all I know, Zaera is a pathetic 20-something living in their mother’s basement, clutching a waifu body pillow every night while they cry themselves to sleep…
I mean, c’mon. I’m psycho. Not psychic.
EDIT to add: you know, I’m normally a pretty nice guy. But apparently, when I’ve just had dental work and I’m sitting here with an icepack to my face, that is not the time to solicit my undivided attention. Apologies where due.