'Fare increase maintained due to necessity'
After a meeting with district deputies to discuss the increase in bus and metro fares, Governor Rodrigo Rollemberg stated that it is not possible to revoke the readjustment without alternatives to fund the service; "The challenge is to ensure the continuity of public services. The readjustment is maintained due to an absolute necessity to keep the system functioning," he explained; fares for internal circular lines rose from R$ 2,25 to R$ 2,50; short-distance lines, from R$ 3 to R$ 3,50; and long-distance, integrated, and metro lines, from R$ 4 to R$ 5.
AMANDA MARTIMON, FROM AGÊNCIA BRASÍLIA - After a meeting with district deputies to discuss the fare increase Regarding buses and subways, Governor Rodrigo Rollemberg stated that it is not possible to revoke the fare increase without finding alternatives to fund the service.
The group met on Monday night (2), at Palácio do Buriti, and is discussing options to finance the system, as the local Executive subsidizes public transport in Brasília.
At the end of the meeting, the governor gave his position. “The challenge is to ensure the continuity of public services. The adjustment is maintained due to an absolute necessity to keep the system functioning,” he explained.
Fares for internal circular lines increased from R$ 2,25 to R$ 2,50; for short-distance connections, from R$ 3 to R$ 3,50; and for long-distance, integrated, and metro lines, from R$ 4 to R$ 5.
With the readjustment in public transportation, the fare supplement, which is funded by public coffers (the difference between the actual fare and the price passed on to the user), is reduced. Thus, in 2017, the estimate is that this measure will save R$ 180 million.
Currently, the local government spends around R$ 600 million per year on subsidies, with approximately R$ 400 million allocated to the costs of free fares for students, senior citizens, and people with disabilities.
One alternative suggested by the governor to help ensure the system's sustainability is for the Legislative Chamber to review the benefit granted to students from private schools. "We must guarantee free tuition for students who truly need it. By providing free tuition to those who don't, we are penalizing other users, such as workers," he emphasized.
Rollemberg also listed actions taken by the government to improve transportation and reduce costs: "We carried out the re-registration of the Free Pass and suspended 50 passes from people who were using them without being entitled to them," he exemplified. The government is also working to implement a single ticket system in the Federal District and to install GPS on buses.
In addition to the president of the Legislative Chamber, Joe Valle (PDT), and the vice-president, Wellington Luiz (PMDB), the meeting was attended by district deputies Chico Leite (Rede), Julio César (PRB), Raimundo Ribeiro (PPS), Rodrigo Delmasso (PTN) and Wasny de Roure (PT); the Secretary of Mobility, Fábio Damasceno, and the Attorney General of the Federal District, Paola Aires Corrêa Lima.