Play with the settings before you start, if I want a relaxed play around, I'll set competitors to zero, breakdowns to never and stuff.

Then I'll find a nice area with a few towns close by and connect them with roads. Then I put bus stops in the centre of the towns, the ones you put on a road. Between the towns, I put a depot and buy a bus. Then you have to tell the bus to go to each bus stop, and send it on its way.

Then I have a basic income, and I look for industry and resources to truck around. Later I play with trains and ships and airports and supply chains and stuff. But I keep the busses going.