Systemd and dbus are standard parts of the Linux userland now, nearly as essential as the kernel itself as they provide vital services.
It is miles better than SysV or monit. I haven't needed to try the 'suggested' replacements like runit or openrc.
Not every nail needs to be hut by the systemd hammer. We've had really fantastic and light weight init systems for decades without all the bloat and creep of systemd.