> you often find independent minibus operators zooming around town, carrying ~20 passengers each, offering in aggregate a very good public transit service, charging a few coins adding up to barely more than the fuel cost for the bus.

NYC actually has an analogue to this! (Had? I’m not sure how many of these routes survived covid)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_vans_in_the_New_York_...