"seen Uttoxeter a town of 19k doesn't have a single evening or Sunday service at all"
It never did, even 40 years ago, (when it was, admittedly, half the size) well before de-regulation. The town was also served by a hotch-potch of services, mostly Stevo's, which ran a town circular and a couple of different routes to Burton, but also PMT, which ran to Hanley and whatever it was ran to Stafford. There was a infrequent service to Derby but people tended to catch the train, instead.
A lot of people did a lot of walking, back then!
RE: Reversing the decline in passenger numbers