For this reason, jitneys have been almost universally banned in the United States. Following national urban transit policy, local governments have created monopolies for scheduled bus service by prohibiting competition along given routes. Subsequently, bus operation has become highly regulated, subsidized, bureaucratized, and politicized. The authors' believe that jitneys and buses can coexist if government sets new rules, based on property rights, governing passenger pick-up areas. Instead of giving buses exclusive operation over routes, they should have exclusive rights only to designated bus stops, sharing routes with jitneys that have their own curb space.
Illegal jitneys continue to operate in the United States today, most notably in New York and Miami.
People who ride illegal jitneys cite various reasons for preferring them to public buses. They say jitneys are faster and cheaper than buses and they offer a more comfortable ride, with drivers who speak languages other than English. Jitney riders believe jitneys are safer than buses. Since jitneys arrive more frequently than buses, riders don't have to wait as long at street stops, where they may get mugged. Further, jitney drivers tend to reject passengers who are drunk, disorderly, or pose other threats.