Public transport almost broke! (3)
I believe the answer is:
bus
'public transport' is the definition.
(bus is a kind of public transport)
'almost broke' is the wordplay.
'almost' means to remove the last letter (almost the whole word is kept).
'broke' becomes 'bust' (synonyms).
'bust' with its final letter taken away is 'BUS'.
(Other definitions for bus that I've seen before include "Coach" , "Road vehicle able to carry many passengers" , "eg Double-decker" , "Use transport" , "Motor-coach" .)