It’s both. If busses are cheap and reliable more people will use them. If more people use them they are cheaper to run. Which creates a positive feedback loop to a point.
You can make busses cheaper for people by other means though - like council/government substitutes or running at a loss for a bit. You need to do something to get more people, you cannot just force people to take the bus before doing anything else.
If the busses were reliable and cheap, more people would use them.
In these examples, there are other buses.
Generally it’s the other way around - if more people use the buses they are cheaper and better for value
It’s both. If busses are cheap and reliable more people will use them. If more people use them they are cheaper to run. Which creates a positive feedback loop to a point.
You can make busses cheaper for people by other means though - like council/government substitutes or running at a loss for a bit. You need to do something to get more people, you cannot just force people to take the bus before doing anything else.