With summer in full swing, the temperature soaring and the wind chill rising above 40 degrees Celsius (°C), the city of Rio de Janeiro anticipated the application of new rules that reduce subsidies paid to consortia that operate municipal collective buses . Today the subsidy is calculated by the number of kilometers driven. With this, the vehicle that is caught circulating with the equipment turned off or defective will have the subsidy cut off in its entirety for that day, regardless of the distance travelled. The decree, published this week, also provides that the bus line that runs with less than 80% of the fleet will have a reduction in aid. A new penalty was also included: vehicles will be fined with amounts stipulated in R$ 563.28 for lines that run from 40% to 60% of the stipulated mileage without air conditioning and R$ 1,265.55 if the line runs with less than 40% of the fleet. “I want to remind the bus system concessionaires that those vehicles that have the air conditioning equipment turned off will not receive the readjusted subsidy to be paid by the city hall”, wrote Paes on his social networks. I want to remind the bus system concessionaires that those vehicles that have the air conditioning turned off will not receive the readjusted subsidy to be paid by the city hall. — Eduardo Paes (@eduardopaes) January 16, 2023 Rio Ônibus In a note, the Union of Bus Companies of the City of Rio de Janeiro (Rio Ônibus) states that “since the signing of the agreement, in May 2022, the consortia are committed to in fulfilling all City Hall demands, prioritizing the resumption of 66 lines and fleet expansion by more than 300 buses already in operation”. The entity also states that “companies work in a task force to overcome the difficulties of purchasing parts and repairing air-conditioning equipment, in order to meet the determination of SMTR”. In a Conduct Adjustment Term (TAC) signed in 2018 with Rio Ônibus, it was agreed that the collective fleet would be completely renovated by 2020, gaining air conditioning, wi-fi signal and USB ports in each seat, so that passengers passengers can access the internet and charge cell phones during trips, as published in the Official Gazette of the City on August 6, 2018. The Municipal Secretary of Transport reported that Rio de Janeiro currently has around 3,500 licensed buses, of these, only 1,050 are factory air-conditioned. The tariff subsidy to be paid per kilometer will be R$ 1.97 for buses identified without air conditioning equipment. Under normal conditions, the value is R$ 3.18. The first goal to air-condition 100% of the city’s buses was established in 2012 and had a deadline of December 31, 2016. The city’s urban buses transport, on average, more than 600 thousand passengers per day, a higher number trains daily. *Intern under the supervision of Akemi Nitahara
Agência Brasil
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