The transport-based economy in island cities is intrinsically linked to the volume and intensity of tourism inflows and outflows, acquiring its identity in accordance with its functional scale. This study aims to examine the lived experience of the transport-based economic structure on the tourist island of Kish. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the public transport fleet (taxis) and analyzed using coding, conceptualization, categorization, and interpretative analysis. The results, derived from 211 final codes, 18 concepts, and 4 categories, indicate that the public transport-based economy of Kish has emerged within an insular lifeworld, heavily dependent on the volume and intensity of tourism. Geographic constraints, the economic focus on tourism, and the status of Kish as a free zone have shaped a distinctive operational structure for the transport fleet, while seasonal fluctuations in tourism directly affect its economy. Findings further reveal that a profound, latent concern about the fragility of the island’s economy rooted in lived experiences of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the twelve-day war has, as collective memories, reinforced perceptions of vulnerability among public transport stakeholders. Consequently, the public transport economy of Kish, as experienced by its operators, is one shaped by the coexistence with the island’s capacities and limitations, oscillating between the relative calm of daily life and the apprehension of future instability.