Transporte público o transporte en común es el término aplicado al transporte colectivo de pasajeros. A diferencia del transporte privado, los viajeros de transporte público tienen que adaptarse a los horarios y a las rutas que ofrezca el operador. Usualmente los viajeros comparten el medio de transporte, y las distintas unidades están disponibles para el público en general. Incluye diversos medios como autobuses, taxis, trolebuses, tranvías, trenes, ferrocarriles suburbanos, y ferris. En el transporte interregional también coexiste el transporte aéreo y el tren de alta velocidad. Algunos, como los taxis compartidos, organizan su horario según la demanda. Otros servicios no se inician hasta que no se complete el vehículo. En algunas zonas de baja demanda existen servicios de transporte público de puerta a puerta, aunque lo normal es que el usuario no escoja ni la velocidad ni la ruta. El transporte público urbano puede ser proporcionado por una o varias empresas privadas o por consorcios de transporte público. Los servicios se mantienen mediante cobro directo a los pasajeros. Normalmente son servicios regulados y subvencionados por autoridades locales o nacionales. Existen en algunas ciudades servicios completamente subvencionado, cuyo costo para el viajero es gratuito. Por razones históricas y económicas, existen diferencias entre el transporte público de unos países y otros. Mientras que las ciudades de zonas como Europa tienen numerosos y frecuentes servicios que sirven a ciudades antiguas y densas, otras zonas como América tienen redes de transporte mucho menos complejas.

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Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, or mass transit) is a shared passenger-transport service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, carpooling, or hired buses, which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement. Public transport modes include city buses, trolleybuses, trams (or light rail) and passenger trains, rapid transit (metro/subways/undergrounds etc) and ferries. Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail. High-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world. Most public transport runs to a scheduled timetable with the most frequent services running to a headway (e.g.: "every 5 minutes" as opposed to being scheduled for any specific time of the day). Share taxis offer on-demand services in many parts of the world, and some services will wait until the vehicle is full before it starts. Paratransit is sometimes used in areas of low-demand and for people who need a door-to-door service. There are distinct differences in urban public transit between Asia, North America, and Europe. In Asia, mass transit operations are predominantly run by profit-driven privately owned and publicly traded mass transit and real estate conglomerates. In North America, mass transit operations are predominantly run by municipal transit authorities. In Europe, mass transit operations are predominantly run by both state-owned and private companies. Public transport services can be profit-driven by use of pay-by-the-distance fares or funded by government subsidies in which flat rate fares are charged to each passenger. Services can be fully profitable through high ridership numbers and high farebox recovery ratios, or can be regulated and possibly subsidized from local or national tax revenue. Fully subsidized, zero-fare (free) services operate in some towns and cities. For historical and economic reasons, there are differences internationally regarding use and extent of public transport. While countries in the Old World tend to have extensive and frequent systems serving their old and dense cities, many cities of the New World have more sprawl and much less comprehensive public transport. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is the international network for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. It has 3,400 members from 92 countries.

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