I think this is a double edged sword of getting people on the bus and passengers can be broken down into 3 groups although some overlap.  

1 Enthusiasts. We all like buses on here so we will go on one whenever we can despite any alternatives there is because it's a hobby to us.  We try getting certain buses or having days out on them.

2 People who don't have a car.  They have no choice but to use the bus. They don't care if it an 04 plate Dennis Dart or 69 plate Streetdeck they want to get from A to B as quick as possible. WiFi and charger points are just a bonus.  

3 People who can drive and using bus as a last resort.  It's these people the company need to try encourage to keep using the bus. 

It's this group what need the most encouragement. Go North East having a big picture on the back of the street decks showing people standing won't encourage people to use the bus.  Neither does covering the Windows with pointless branding ( smaller companies doing it for advertising purposes to get revenue I can understand). The way to encourage people to use the bus more is having services that people want and getting them there as quick as possible. Why would people in Elwick or stillington who have a car want to use the bus at all when none of the company's can be bothered to serve their area.   A family who parents don't work why would they get bus when it cheaper for them to use a taxi.   The only way to get people who don't already regularly use the bus and keep people who are is by making sure every area has at least a semi regular service and cheap fares along with journeys been as quick as possible. Obviously the problem is most companies won't do that because they are a businesses and won't serve anywhere unless they know they can make money or get a subsidy for it.  They buy the buses so can cover the Windows if they want because the management like having a nice shiny new branding on the bus and the first two groups will use the bus either way. So unless bus companies start providing services for people instead of profit or councils find the money to subsidise services again passengers are likely to stay the same or keep dropping no matter how many new buses have WiFi charger points and next stop announcements.