Public transportation shapes urban residents’ access to economic opportunities, public services, and full citizenship. Its significance is particularly evident in the Global South, where transport systems vary widely in affordability and quality, influencing who can use and benefit from them. Despite its centrality to urban life, public transportation remains underexamined in mainstream Political Science. The article addresses this gap by proposing a descriptive typology that links the political, economic, and social dynamics underpinning bus systems. Centered on the dimensions of affordability and service quality, the typology identifies four governance types: prohibitive high-end, inclusive top-notch, expensive mediocrity, and cheap service trap. These categories reflect distinct configurations of regulation and state financing, each embedded in particular politics of public goods provision. The framework is illustrated through an analysis of bus systems in Mexico City. The article offers political scientists a conceptual tool for advancing theoretical inquiry and empirical research on urban governance.
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