City council approves Zamora’s plan for a subsidized 10-cent bus fare hike but owners may not accept it

Cuenca municipal council voted Monday night to hike the public bus fare from 30 cents to 40 cents, with the city subsidizing the entire increase. It is unclear, however, if bus owners will accept the plan.

The subsidy, which will increase the current bus subsidy from $3.5 million to almost $10 million, was proposed in November by Mayor Cristian who justified it based on “economic hardship” of bus riders. “It is essential that we support the population of public transport passengers with lower incomes,” Zamora said.

The Cuenca Transport Chamber, which represents bus owners, has not yet commented on the plan although its director had earlier said it was not acceptable. “First, the 40-cent proposal is too low since it was recommended three years ago, before the increase of fuel costs. We need a fare of 43 to 47 cents,” said Diego Idrovo after Zamora presented his proposal. “Second, history shows we cannot trust the municipality to pay the subsidy on time since payment to owners of the current four-cent subsidy is often six months late.”

Before the council voted 10 to 3 for his plan, Zamora said the fare increase comes with new responsibilities for bus owners. “This subsidy is not free for the transport sector since it entails an ambitious improvement plan that must be fulfilled to the letter to enable payment.”

Zamora listed 12 conditions that must be met by the Transport Chamber and its fleet of 475 buses:

• Expansion of routes and frequencies
• Annual driver training
• Interoperability (a single card for bus and tram)
• Real-time monitoring of shutdown compliance
• Update of the mobile app to include new routes
• Identification of all routes by color
• Implementation of QR codes at all stops
• The CTC must issue a regulation to separate bad drivers within 30 days
• Implementation of a panic button on each bus
• Installation of two additional security cameras on each bus
• Pilot plan in 50 units to prevent gender violence
• Incorporation of new messages in the audios of the unit

The councilors who voted against the subsidized fare claimed the city could not afford the $10 million commitment and that the money was needed for other projects. “Citizens already subsidize the fare when they pay taxes,” Councilor Diana González said. “We have complained for years about the tranvia subsidy, which we are paying down, and now we vote for an even bigger one.”

She added that if a subsidy is necessary, it should be based on the economic needs of individual passengers and not be applied “across the board.”

Councillor Roman Carabajo objected to the subsidy for not considering a “unified plan of urban transportation” that includes both buses and the tram. “My proposal is for interoperability and multi-trip rates to reduce costs to user as well as the municipality,” he said. “This plan is short-sighted and was presented without consideration of the larger picture.”

Like González, Carabajo objected to “giving away money” the city needs for other infrastructure projects.