Hundreds of users of public transport suffer ordeals to be able to return to their homes at night and at dawn.
Between 10 pm and 11 pm, many companies do not take out all their buses due to reduced demand. So many branches are no longer covered.
Those who work in the early morning hours, as gastronomic officials, have a worse reality. If they do not have their own vehicle, they must use transport platforms, with the high costs involved, due to the absence of buses on the streets.
EARLY MORNING
Víctor Sánchez, vice minister of transport, reported that they are considering several alternatives to provide a solution to the people who mobilize in the strip between 11:30 p.m. and 3 in the morning.
“We are analyzing two scenarios. One would be to nationalize (let the state take over) the night service. For this we need approximately 10 buses to work on the different main trunks such as Mcal. Estigarribia, Mcal. López, Acceso Sur, Acceso Norte, Highway and others ”, he mentioned.
These 10 buses would cost around US $ 4 million and will be electric. The final cost will rise a little more for the infrastructure necessary for them to operate. Each electric bus has a cost of US $ 300,000 to US $ 400,000.
SECOND ALTERNATIVE
The second option is a subsidy per kilometer traveled on the night strip. Sánchez mentioned that in the 23-hour time slot, only about 7 passengers get on on average. This multiplied by G. 5000, which is the technical fare of the passage, represents G. 35 thousand that must be absorbed.
“We are not looking for a service that is profitable. What we are looking for is a service that is sustainable, that can be sustained. Finding the equation that allows us to be sustainable and sustainable, not profitable, “he said.
NIGHT BUSES
Sánchez affirmed that they are working progressively to solve the shortage of night buses. He stressed that a few months ago, at 10 pm there were 50 buses, and in the 11 pm band only seven buses operated. That means that that number of buses traveled the metropolitan area at that hour.
“Today from 50 we went up to 200, and from seven we went up to 80. Strictly complying with what the specifications and conditions say,” he said.
Sánchez points out that this PBC was written more than 10 years ago. There the service levels that the operation must have are established. It mentions that, in the night time slot, there must be at least one bus every hour (until 11pm).
It also states that performance on the trunks has to be measured. This means that the branches are subject to demand. In other words, companies are obliged to comply with their main routes, but the branches, you have the possibility to choose, according to which one has more passengers.
