At least in my town (Munich) running busses from technical POV is done by private companies, following schedules setup by the city. The question there is who does the investment and what happens the bus after a few years.
For taxi private operators can make a business by offering additional services over the mandated taxi business (chauffeur services, longer term scheduled pickups, rides between municipalities, ...) The full picture is complex, though ...
Yeah, it's definitely more complex than I'm making it out to be, there will always be "boutique" offerings on the fringes of public markets, but if 90% of people need a service to be productive in the community, the answer should be to take it off the market.
For taxi private operators can make a business by offering additional services over the mandated taxi business (chauffeur services, longer term scheduled pickups, rides between municipalities, ...) The full picture is complex, though ...