The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, fully vetoed the Bill (PL) 3364/2020, which addresses the emergency aid to public transport in the face of the pandemic caused by Covid-19, as published in the Official Gazette (10/12). The bill, which allocated R$ 4 billion to maintain the provision of services for all modes of public passenger transport, was approved by the Federal Senate on November 18.
The National Association of Passenger Rail Operators (ANPTrilhos), an entity that represents the operators of subway systems, urban trains and Light Rail Vehicles, received with indignation the presidential decision to veto the aid to transport. The lack of resources will affect millions of Brazilians who only use public transport as a means of transportation.
“The sector resents the lack of specific measures to deal with the economic crisis in Brazilian public transport, even though it is classified, by the Federal Government itself, as an essential sector, indispensable to meet the urgent needs of the community”, emphasizes the President of ANPTrilhos, Joubert Flores.
Public transport is an essential service for the population, provided for in the Brazilian constitution, and is used mainly for commuting to work.
This is not an exclusive crisis for Brazilian operators. The urban mobility system around the world has been severely affected and several countries have taken rapid steps to aid transport to ensure mobility and the recovery of local economies. ANPTrilhos was surprised by the veto of the Emergency Aid Law, which is fundamental for maintaining service to the population, which will be the most affected if the systems collapse.
The sector is experiencing its greatest crisis and, since the pandemic and public calamity decree in March, Brazilian metro-rail systems have accumulated a deficit of over R$ 7 billion, only in terms of tariff revenue.
Even in the face of a lack of resources, operators went great lengths to maintain service to the population, making all possible adjustments to maintain the service, however, with the lengthening of the crisis, which has no prospect of completion, the sector is not being able to withstand severe impacts.
ANPTrilhos appeals to the Brazilian President for the assistance to the sector to be reassessed, in a swift manner, so that it can guarantee the service to the Brazilian population, which is already suffering from the social and financial impacts of the pandemic.
