Vernacular governmentality: the last mile, temporal certainty, and risk-sensitive integration of informal shared taxis in metropolitan Lima

Informal shared taxis, locally known as colectivos , remain a part of everyday mobility in Metropolitan Lima despite lacking the authorization required for urban passenger transport. This article examines how users, drivers, and institutional actors negotiate temporal certainty, proximity, livelihood, safety, and regulatory control, and considers the conditions under which a risk- and territory-sensitive form of integration could preserve useful last-mile functions while reducing harm. The study combines 25 semi-structured interviews (12 passengers/users, 9 drivers or operators, and 4 institutional actors) with a documentary review of legislation, regulations, policy documents, and administrative sources. Interview data were analyzed through directed and inductive thematic coding in ATLAS.ti , and the documentary corpus was interpreted in relation to the empirical findings. Colectivos were valued for their direct connections, shorter waits, and proximity to homes, workplaces, and trunk corridors. Their legitimacy was negotiated through a moral economy of usefulness, work, and non-harm, while enforcement pressure encouraged route adaptation and informal coordination. The temporary national regime for automobile colectivos excludes Lima and Callao, and the services examined here are street-based rather than application-defined. The article develops vernacular governmentality as a framework for explaining how non-state actors organize circulation under fragmented institutional presence and argues for a proportionate integration approach centered on safety, traceability, accountability, and access.