My point entirely. RTPI is much more important for the vast majority of passengers (reliability is usually THE most important factor for passengers). Next stop indicators are not much of an issue for locals and most passengers are local (though I appreciate that in some more touristy areas, then it is perhaps worth doing). Wifi is now fast becoming a human right and yes, not everyone has an unlimited data allowance!
If you are only interested in your existing passengers then you don't need next stop(s) information. As long as those passengers don't ever want to go somewhere other than where they already go. I suspect it is no surprise that the few operators that are always quoted as being exceptional in the UK all have next stop indicators. If I read the earlier post correctly, it would appear that NCT in Nottingham even have the next few stops. Metrobus have the next few stops on their latest Fastway buses.
I don't have unlimited data. I could if I wanted but it would be a waste of money. I don't even use the whole amount that I pay for. Most people pay for a higher allowance than they need because of the fear of going over it. I also wonder how much data bus passengers actually use, given you shouldn't be using it for streaming. Even when free bus/train WiFi is offered, I don't usually use it because my own data is usually faster. I am also aware of the security issues surrounding public WiFi and it is a bit of pain to use my VPN when browsing, and which makes the internet even slower.
Having said that WiFi is easy and cheap to install so you might as well have it.
However, I really don't go with the idea that it was the land of milk and honey before deregulation. It wasn't.
We always compare with the pre-86 situation, but I don't think it is that relevant. There is a particular and peculiar British culture of operation that started well before 1986.
For example, charging per vehicle is common to operations in Britain and some former colonies, regardless whether the buses are tendered, deregulated or state owned. When Sheffield has its 5p fare, it was still 5p per vehicle, so changing cost 10p. That may seem a silly thing to worry about, given we are only talking about 10p, which wasn't a lot even in the 80s, but there was still the principle of making people pay more to change, which has probably contributed to the well known, but typically British, aversion to changing. They could have had a higher flat fare but which allowed transfers.
Buses in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland are state owned and charge per vehicle. Buses in Great Britain charged per vehicle before deregulation. Same goes for Hong Kong, which still follows many of the 'quirks' of British operation, despite passing back to China quite a long time ago now.
For some reason, countries independent from the UK choose to copy British bad habits instead of emulating good practice from mainland Europe. Despite Ireland's bitter struggle against British rule, their buses are run very similarly to how buses were run in Britain before 1986.
British buses both before and after 1986 have persevered with drivers wasting so much time on ticketing. That is totally unnecessary. You don't need low or flat fares. In any case, boarding was tedious before 1986 even in places where fares were almost free. Modern technology helps, but is not necessary. Off bus ticketing for single fares has existed for decades outside the UK.
So, even if British buses were re-regulated with good funding, most things would still be the same and it would be highly unlikely that best practice from the continent would be copied. No matter how many times you talk about the importance of not having to pay to change, or the importance of next stop indicators etc., it falls on deaf ears.
) used these for years; in the UK they are a relatively recent thing and aren't used everywhere, instead some areas use Tube map style maps which are of far less use.