Kirk here with a share from Kuma Visit. Though I haven’t had occasion to ride a local bus recently (I’m a cyclist), I can certainly imagine how this could make buses a more attractive option for getting around in Kumamoto. I’ve read that bus ridership in Kumamoto is about one fourth (1/4) of what it was in 1975:
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileDsp.aspx?c_id=5&id=48134&sub_id=1&flid=342426
The idea of merging the 5 different bus companies we have in Kumamoto into one has been discussed as one way to improve service and make busses more attractive to local residents:
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO54074270W0A100C2LX0000/
While no where near as ambitious as such a merger, improving amenities inside the buses strikes me as a step in the right direction. If more people left their cars at home and took a bus into the city it would alleviate traffic congestion, free up parking, a reduce CO2 emissions. Perhaps free wifi should be thrown in to sweeten the deal. ;)