[danhor]

> All over Europe and in much of the rest of the world, public transit is operated by private companies. (Usually with great results.)

Speaking for Europe, primarily Germany: The infrastructure is usually public (or via a company, owned by the state). Local transit planning is usually also public and only (sometimes) operated by private companies, which bid on a tender offered by the state. Busses can be often private, but train (tram, subway) operation are more primarily operated by some public entity (even more so if the ones operated by other countries are counted).

Long distance transit can have private entities even creating their own schedules, but most service is performed by publicly owned entities (with rail).

There are many companies owned by public entities (even competing), which I'd count as public.

I think almost are all long distance busses are private.

In Austria and Switzerland, the top countries in regard to rail things in europe, almost nothing is private.