João: "The transportation situation is complicated, but we will have good news."

Sergipe 247 - Mayor João Alves Filho (DEM) stated this Monday (29), during the inauguration of new traffic agents, that the current situation of public transport in Aracaju is being resolved and that by the 31st there will be a public assembly to resolve the bidding process. “Today, worldwide, the issue of transport is one of the most complex issues to resolve. Society is clamoring for solutions. But, this situation did not originate with us, and, regrettably, previous governments did not take the necessary measures to prevent this from happening. Now we are taking the appropriate steps,” said the mayor.

According to João, a public assembly convened by the State Court will take place next Wednesday to decide, among other things, on the transportation bidding process. “The Judiciary will decide whether the bidding process will be limited to Aracaju only or will involve the three municipalities that make up Greater Aracaju. In my view, I think it's a step backward to hold a bidding process only for the capital. The municipalities are sister municipalities, we are united. This situation is being resolved in stages. The first was the involvement of the mayors of the municipalities involved. Now, the acting governor needs to approve it. Soon after, we will participate in the hearing. We hope that the chosen path will be the most sensible for everyone, and that there will be a bidding process for all four municipalities involved,” he emphasized.

Regarding the emergency decisions taken to prevent the population from being harmed by the exclusion of Viação Cidade de Aracaju (VCA), João Alves said that negotiations with the companies that will come to Aracaju are well advanced. “As an emergency measure, we removed VCA, which was disrupting the system and not complying with the concession requirements. Furthermore, the company had been shut down for eight days due to non-compliance with labor issues with its employees. I removed them and I will not be intimidated by pressure. The situation is complicated, since we are looking for other companies to implement 150 buses without the guarantee that they will be awarded the contract. Thank God we are making progress in the negotiations. I am convinced that in the coming days, after these other two stages are completed, we will have good news,” he stated.

Photo: Pedro Leite/PMA