Residents of São Paulo take to the streets to protest fare increase.
Organized by the Free Fare Movement (MPL), the demonstration gathered at Praça do Ciclista, on Avenida Paulista, at 17 pm and marched to the home of Mayor João Doria (PSDB), but was blocked by police and did not reach its destination; members of the movement said that, despite the fare increase having been judicially suspended, the group will not leave the streets until the governor and the mayor reverse their decision to raise fares.
247, with Agência Brasil - Protesters demonstrated this Thursday (12), on Avenida Paulista, against the increase in public transport fares in the integrated mode (bus and rail), in monthly and weekly tickets in the city of São Paulo and in intercity bus terminals. Organized by the Free Fare Movement (MPL), the event was concentrated in Praça do Ciclista at 17 pm and later marched to the home of Mayor João Doria.
"By increasing fares by more than double the inflation rate, Doria and Alckmin [Geraldo Alckmin, governor of the state of São Paulo] are penalizing the city's poorest population, people who live in outlying areas precisely because they cannot afford to live in central regions," says the MPL in the letter calling for the protest.
According to the movement, the increase establishes a proportional charge in the transportation system: those who travel longer distances pay more.
"Such logic goes against the constitutionally recognized social right to public transportation. By charging the poorest more, the mayor and governor are deliberately acting to expel these people from the city, restricting their right of access to all urban facilities essential for survival, such as schools and hospitals, which in the current economic crisis makes living conditions exponentially worse," says the MPL.
Members of the movement said that, despite the fare increase being suspended by the courts, the group will not leave the streets until the governor and the mayor reverse their decision to raise the fares.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Transport Secretariat (STM) informed that the integration fares for the Metro and the Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) have been changed and have returned to the price practiced before the readjustment. For the intercity buses of the Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos de São Paulo (EMTU), the fare adjustment will start to take effect from 00:00 tomorrow (13).
According to the secretariat, "complying with the preliminary injunction would have a drastic and detrimental financial impact on the transportation system and the state government's coffers."
According to the São Paulo state government, if the decision prohibiting the fare increase is upheld, the financial impact in 2017 will be R$ 220 million.
Police block demonstration heading towards Doria's house.
Camila Boehm - The Military Police (PM) prevented the demonstration against the increase in public transport fares, organized by the Free Fare Movement (MPL), from proceeding to its intended destination, which was the door of Mayor João Doria's house. A PM roadblock caused the movement to end the protest around 20:30 pm, before completing its original route, peacefully.
Since 17 PM, a group of protesters gathered at Praça do Ciclista, on Avenida Paulista. Around 19 PM, they began a march, going down Avenida Rebouças. The MPL intended to reach Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, but was prevented by the police, being forced to enter Avenida Brasil.
At the intersection of Avenida Brasil and Rua Colômbia, the protest was once again prevented from proceeding. According to a representative of the MPL (Free Fare Movement), the police "surrounded" the demonstrators, leaving them no alternative route.
Contacted by Agência Brasil, the PM's press office said it had no information about the roadblock set up for the protesters. However, it added that half an hour after the protest ended, around 21 pm, four people were detained in the Oscar Freire Street area for vandalizing shops and banks, and were taken to the 78th Police District.