I remember waiting at local supermarket for a bus, and the woman next to me ordering a taxi, I said why, the bus goes that way, can't remember exact figures but taxi was some thing like £5 and bus £4.50 and the taxi driver would help carry her shopping, and go to her door.
So she was far better off using a taxi, which means less people catching the bus, I did start catching the bus before Colvid which was also before I moved, and into the City I could travel from 6 am to 11 pm OK some services needed a 1/4 mile walk, some outside the house, but it seems that was down to local residents objecting to buses using roads in housing estate after 6 pm.
But here, train or bus, first is around 10:30 am into the local town, and last leaves around 4:30 pm. I did catch the train yesterday (steam hauled) but the problem be it train or bus, is the wait between them, three trains a day (8 mile trip) is great for the tourist, but 2½ hours before you can start returning, and it takes 50 minutes, so with walk to train station/bus stop that means 5 hours to pop into town 8 miles away. Or around 2 hours if I use my e-bike. Or ¾ hour by car.
So only people who may catch buses are people who can't drive, be it because of no licence or no car, if we want people to return to using the bus, then the system needs to change. Be it bike racks on the bus, or flexibus, or even the bus drivers hand shaking so one can catch two buses without a long wait between them.
Last house to get to Shotton I had to change at Hawarden, with the two bus stops some distance apart and no bus shelter, even with a bus pass, not really that good, took me 20 minutes to Shotton, and 60 minutes return on my bike, not the e-bike then, and bus took 90 minutes, for 6 miles.
If it were not for the hills I would use the bike more, but beauty of the train is I can take my bike, OK £4 return for bike, but I can get to Welshpool and then Welshpool to Newtown is on the flat on the canal tow path, traffic free, but can't carry bike on bus, even with my folding bike.
