I think a lot of that is colored by the fact that you were doing a long-distance trip. I would completely agree with your points if I were, say, living in Frankfurt and planning a holiday in Paris.

But the math is a lot different for regular day-to-day trips, and for that I do think the timetable is the primary product. My goal is to get from A to B, and do so 1) reliably, 2) quickly, and 3) affordably. I don't really care if this means taking the car, the bus, the underground, the train, my bicycle, or a ferry - I'll use whatever option is most convenient.

If I'm only in/on there for 30 minutes, I could not care less for a scenic view. It matters far more whether there is a frequent service I can rely on, which doesn't involve half a dozen needless busy-work with transfers and endless waiting and anxiety for each connecting service. The more it acts like a taxi, the happier I am.