Sadly yes. Some bus companies are very reliable (traffic jams permitting), but there are definitely times when they aren't, and I've used rural routes where the hourly bus might just not turn up, which makes them completely infeasible for commuting or appointments.

To replace cars with buses for trips you really need them to be rock solid.

Yeah I think the most stressed I've ever been about punctuality was when I was dependent on a rural bus to get to work on time. I love rural Britain but if you can't drive for whatever reason, it's often not feasible to live there.

Jesus.

I thought Germany was bad with no A/C and unopenable windows for "security" (= cost savings).

At least the busses* are on time.

* definitely not the trains, though