2024-01-13 03:30:00
The future of urban transportation in the entire province of Río Negro has its fate tied to the direction adopted by the national government, because Subsidies from that origin are a central piece of the economic support of the system, although the municipalities also began to evaluate what resources they have at hand to avoid the collapse of the service.
Bariloche has the most developed urban transportation in Río Negro and the one that receives the most subsidies. The concession is run by the company Mi Bus, which this month did not pay salaries on time, which led to a forceful measure by the UTA that left the city without buses for almost four days.
The same thing happened in previous months without the company finding a way to prevent these conflicts and without the municipality applying sanctions for breach of contract. Former mayor Gustavo Gennuso even justified the salary arrears in the need to make visible the pressure caused by the delay in subsidies.
But among the main actors in the activity there is a presumption that an abrupt drop in national aid would precipitate the disappearance of the service, at least in its current format.
The Secretary of Transportation of Río Negro, Juan Ciancaglini, recognized that crises due to salary arrears are difficult to avoid, because The income from tickets covers a marginal part of the costs and the Nation accumulates delays of between two and three months in the remission of the so-called “compensating fund.” The government of President Javier Milei, according to the first signs, would not have the will to solve this problem, but rather would aggravate it with a decrease in contributions.
Ciancaglini said that the province maintains the commitment to provide a subsidy equivalent to that of the Nation and this week it paid the corresponding one for October, in addition promised to contribute 62 million more before the end of the month “to guarantee the payment of January salaries” and avoid new forceful measures by UTA, like the one that occurred a few days ago. It would be an advance on November and December subsidies.
Of the total distributed by the government of Río Negro (where there are seven towns with municipal transportation services), more than half are transferred to Amancay/Mi Bus. The Bariloche company received 62,211,000 pesos in the last distribution and slightly less than 60 million were allocated proportionally for the maintenance of urban transportation in General Roca, Viedma, Allen, Cipoletti, Sierra Grande and San Antonio Oeste, in addition to two interurban lines.
Ciancaglini maintains permanent contact with his peers from other provinces, who face the same pressure, and took charge of demanding on behalf of the Federal Transportation Council an “urgent hearing” with the new Minister of Infrastructure of the Nation, Guillermo Ferraro, who has the area in charge.
The idea of the provincial secretaries of Transportation is that the national government clearly states what it intends to do with the subsidies and they will raise it at the meeting. Until yesterday, the request had not received a response.
Public transport with “almost unlimited” help
In the municipality of Bariloche there is also a growing concern with the transportation situation, knowing that it is a service of high social sensitivity, to which is added the tourism factor, because leaving the city without connectivity would also have a full impact on that activity.
For some time now, the municipality has been subsidizing Mi Bus on its own account, with increasing amounts of money. As this commitment is set in liters of diesel oil, the contribution has an automatic update, which has accelerated in recent weeks. The municipality guarantees the company the equivalent of 49,529 liters of Infinia Diesel per week. At the current pump price, this injection of resources represents 197 million pesos per month.
The municipality’s Secretary of Finance, Carina Ondarçuhu, said a few days ago in the Council that These periodic transfers to cover “100% of the fuel” represent “a great effort” for the municipality and even so “the company says it is not enough.” He noted that “everything regarding transportation is subject to review,” including the contribution tied to fuel, and acknowledged that the uncertainty is very great. “We don’t know if it can disappear,” he said.
He stated that The rate – currently set at 270 pesos and with an already agreed increase to 320 as of February 1 – is low in the current context “and it makes it difficult for the company to reach the balance to function.”
Mayor Cortés had said in the campaign (and also in office) that he had projects to diversify transportation with overlapping services of point-to-point minibuses, remises, taxis and also transfers contracted by application. But he didn’t move forward until now. He also did not say how he would make them at an affordable price for the passenger.
Another issue he pointed out is the number of users who travel without paying or with a discount, which amounted to half of the total.
The municipality’s Chief of Staff, Héctor Leguizamón Pondal, also said on Thursday in the Council that the seriousness of the situation requires a “reformulation of the contract” with Mi Bus, which expires in three years. The objective would be to “reduce costs” with a thorough review of frequencies and routes (it was read as a bailout)with special care in converting current routes that have many kilometers into gravel streets and result in a high rate of breakages and repairs.
Public transport: few alternatives appear
Ciancaglini said that The problems that jeopardize the continuity of transportation are the same everywhere and municipalities face them as best they can.. He gave as an example the case of Roca, where the management of María Emilia Soria advances money to the lending cooperative when national subsidies are delayed. “In Viedma I understand that too,” she added.
The official pointed out that following the recent liquidation of the subsidies corresponding to October, those of November and December will arrive “with an already agreed increase of 26%”, which will be far from covering the evolution of costs. After that date, there is no precision as to how remittances will continue.
«We hope that they will be maintained, The entire transportation cost structure is paid in two ways: with a ticket and with a subsidy. If one is not there, it is difficult for the other to support everything,” he explained.
He insisted that the crisis is “generalized” and requires quick responses. Asked regarding the possibility of reviewing the free tickets for students, retirees and the disabled, among others, Ciancaglini said he agreed. «There is not really a free ticket, someone pays for it -he explained-. Making transportation efficient, without lowering the comfort and quality of the units, without compromising on safety, forces us to discuss these issues.
He clarified, however, that the scheme of gratuities and benefits “is the responsibility of the grantors”, that is, of the municipalities.
In Bariloche and For more than a decade, students at all levels of the public system have traveled for free, from elementary to tertiary and university. And those from private establishments pay 33% of the ordinary ticket. People with disabilities and others who are already covered at the national level by the Sube system, such as domestic workers and those registered for social plans, also enjoy benefits.
Ciancaglini denied that at any time the cost of the service was entirely covered by the passenger’s ticket because, before the current subsidy scheme, “they already received diesel at a differentiated price,” which did not exceed 30% of the real price. And it was awarded “by number of vehicles”, not per kilometer traveled. “The sums were very important,” he assured.
According to the Rio Negro official, “inflation changed the scenario” in recent months and everything was aggravated by the rise of many inputs “at dollar prices.”
He also said that for Bariloche the adoption of a tourist ticket is “an alternative that must be analyzed, but must be evaluated by the parties, without intervention from the province.” Last year, the City Council approved an ordinance that established a higher general ticket and a discount for residents, but it was vetoed by Gennuso, who described it as “inapplicable.”
In Bariloche “with this contract, transportation is unviable”
It is difficult to find optimistic views regarding the present and future of urban transport.
Among those who add their opinion is Rosamel Santana, who has 18 years of experience in the activity, first as a worker, in the former Tres de Mayo company and then also as operational manager at Amancay SRL.
Santana assured that The current model in Bariloche “is totally unviable”. She said that The free ticket for so many passengers is too heavy a burden, that must be reviewed urgently.
Students enjoy this benefit and There is little or no control over how they use it. Many times they travel for free even when they are not going to school or university and the system allows them.
He also spoke regarding the disabled. “At first they were required to have the Single Disability Certificate issued by the Nation, but then they began to travel with a photocopy, without any guarantee or safeguard,” he observed. Those photocopies circulated from hand to hand, anyone had access and everything went haywire. In practice, there are many who do not pay. The SUBE system would allow controlling the trip of the person with a disability, but they do not personalize the cards so it does not work. There should be a tamper-proof credential, or something like that, but it would probably be a cause of conflict.
Regarding subsidies, Santana said that A “reconversion” is necessary so that they really reach where they are needed. He warned that the same system has many cross subsidies, because for example the “flat” rate allows travel from the center to Llao Llao or Colonia Switzerland (25 kilometers) for a price that does not even remotely cover the costs, and is the same for a short trip of three kilometers.
Regarding people with disabilities, the mayor also Cortés said that a reconsideration was urgently needed because many people travel “with their companions” to use this benefit.when other disabled people, for example those with mobility problems, do not use the bus due to lack of ramps.
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