I've not used buses in a long time. I'd rather walk 45m across the city than fuck about trying to get a 20m bus journey as they're so unreliable. That could be why passenger numbers are low if people are doing similar, finding alternatives.
This was... a few years ago, but a friend of mine lived in [small unnamed village so I don't dox myself] as a teenager and after a night out his only option home (except a bank loan for a taxi) was to get the 10 to Inverness, ask the driver to drop him off at a junction along the way (not a bus stop) and walk 1.5 miles in the dark along a narrow country road. What could possibly go wrong?
The reason for this is Stagecoach deemed the bus that went to his village and around some of the other larger villages in the area too expensive and cut it. Essentially stranding a few thousand children, teenagers, pensioners, and anyone unable to drive really, because they weren't making enough profit. Not a loss, just not enough profit. This bus then got subsidised by the council due to outcry, but that seemed to dry up eventually, too.
Another Stagecoach fuck up was when they got the contract to do all the school bus runs. This would be a council fuck up too as they clearly didn't vet Stagecoach properly. So Stagecoach have the contract to transport hundreds of children and which buses do they decide to use? Well, putting out the shiny new buses isn't going to net them any profit as they've already got the contract, they're getting paid regardless of which bus they use. So they chose their most beat-up falling apart buses. Some buses would fill up with smoke from the engine, some buses struggled to drive up hills, but the worst was when a bus came to a crossroads, the driver applied the brakes annnd nothing happened. A bus full of children just went zipping across the junction. Luckily, there was nothing coming from the other directions, but that could have been disastrous. Of course, parents and teachers found out, a meeting was called, and Stagecoach got scalded by the council and improved their buses. But only improved them juuust enough. They were still pieces of shit by the time I left school 5 years later.
Anyway, my point is, I agree, Stagecoach are shite. First are shite. Nationalised buses are definitely the way forward.