I just feel like it's a card you can play once, and then it's no longer a strong defense. People on here are extremely quick to point out when someone has been fine voting for a packmate.
It isn't a card you play once. What it means is that people cannot use VCA when you flip to clear or implicate anyone.
Consider, if people know that you will bus, then it means none of the villagers you attempted to misyeet by placing a vote on, can be cleared. And then if you did stay off your packmates, none of them can be said to be sus just because you didn't vote them. In fact, people might give one packmatet village points if you didn't vote them but you did vote another pack mate.
And, if you're village and not someone like AM that never votes a packmate, and you manage not to end up on any wolf yeets, you stand a chance as villager of not being misyeeted for it. I've seen the never bussers get misyeeted because no one believes they are village and weren't on any wolves.
It cuts both ways.
The fact that no one can accurately predict when I would or would not bus, has not just saved my bacon when I wolf. It has both helped and hurt my village game. But I'm OK with sometimes being misyeeted as a villager if it means that sometimes I win as a wolf. Who wants an assured loss?
I prefer the flexibility. And the fact that I am willing to bus, also means I can avoid being on any of my packmates in many scenarios and still not get yeeted for it. It might not get me village points as either affiliation, but as I said it actually gives me a little wiggle room no matter my affiliation no matter my voting record in a game.
Do I get misyeeted because people find it hard to interpret my behavior as either affiliation? Sure. But sometimes I live a lot longer as a wolf or a villager for that very same reason.
It's cool to have one's feelings and feelings are a big part of what the game is based on, like, play how you want. But there isn't one way to play. Which means that there isn't really any superiority to NEVER bussing or sometimes bussing. Although I will always argue that no matter your affiliation, flexibility in your thinking about the game can only ever help you.
You don't have to like bussing or subscribe to it, but for example here where you say it's a one card play, like, you're not considering what other players get out of it. And understanding that is still important even if YOU never become a busser, because your goal even as a never busser villager is still to correctly read other players, some of whom bus and some who don't. Understanding this mindset and the possible advantages is still important for understanding and predicting other players' play.