I wanted the easiest route to BKK once, so I tried the Transport Company, Thailand based. Supposed to have direct bus service PP to BKK. With toilet.

The first bus early in the morning in PP was a bus that was VIP a hundred years ago. I should have known that with only 2 other passengers there was something fishy about it.

It broke down about 30 minutes out.

They switched us to a second class bus, no toilet, that took the milk route. No kidding, they did not even take the direct route that a VIP bus would have taken.

Then a miracle! They switched us to a second, second class-bus also taking the milk route-- slow and going to all the small towns, filled with locals with chicken, etc

In Aranyaprathet we finally switched buses to a real Thai VIP bus. The staff said they were sorry, like Thais are so good at saying.

After that, and realizing that every cambo long-haul bus was a ripoff (always problem with the toilet) I gave up cambo buses, and fly only.

I wonder if public awareness of this has caught up with them.

No, most people know already that this border crossing bus is a ripoff for about 20 years now.
And there is no such thing as a VIP bus. People with money take a plane or a private car.