Mayor proposes subsidizing entire bus fare increase; Integrated bus-tram-bike payment system to begin

Mayor Cristian Zamora proposed Friday that the city cover the cost of a 10-cent increase in municipal bus fare. “To reduce the hardship to users of the system, I believe we should pay for the full amount,” he said, adding that he will present a full proposal at the January 1, 2026 municipal council meeting.

City bus owners say they are awaiting further details of Mayor Cristian Zamora’s bus fare subsidy plan.

Currently, the city provides a 1-cent subsidy for each fare, plus a variety of smaller subsidies for maintenance and the purchase of new buses

In a press conference, Zamora said his proposal will come with conditions that bus owners must meet, including the extension of operating hours in rural areas and improvement of service. He said he will present a detailed list of conditions at the council meeting.

Wilmer Bravo, a representative of Cuenca bus owners, said he is awaiting further details of the mayor’s subsidy plan before responding.

Although there was no public comment from city council members on the mayor’s proposal, former city transportation director and municipal council member Freddy Moreno called Zamora’s proposal “extreme and expensive.” Saying he doubted council support for a full subsidy, Moreno said it is time local governments to move away from subsidies. “We are seeing this at the national level with the elimination of the diesel support and I think Cuenca should follow the lead,” he said.

He added: “We have complained for years about the tranvía subsidy, which is far less than what the mayor is proposing for buses, so why are we talking about adding a new one?”

Also on Friday, the city transportation office said work has begun for a consolidated payment system for users of buses, the tranvía and public bicycles. According to Cuenca Tramway Director Haydee Lopez, a new payment card covering the three systems will be launched in eight to 10 months. “The integration has been delayed for four years due to technical problems but these have been overcome and we are moving forward,” said.

Lopez said he expects the tranvía fare to increase along with bus fare. Currently, frequent tranvía users pay 5-cents more than bus fare.