October 22, 2024, 4:00 AM
October 22, 2024, 4:00 AM
“There are no buses,” is the complaint of public transport users who suffer from the shortage of this service, which operates with between 20% and 30% of its units due to lack of fuel. Added to this is that other services, such as garbage collection, street maintenance and citizen security operations, are at 50% for the same reason.
Silvana, who goes to the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University every day, points out that she usually waits five minutes for a bus to pass, but now the minimum you have to wait is 15 minutes or morealthough it points out that it has the advantage of choosing several lines that pass along Cristo Redentor Avenue to reach the second ring and there are also trufis that take it closer to its destination. “How will people who live in areas where only one line operates,” he points out.
And the situation for citizens It gets more and more complicated, Because in desperation they sometimes have to take a taxi, but their budget is not enough.
Florencia works as a cook in a restaurant and yesterday she had to take a taxi to arrive on time, but that extra expense affects your budget family, since she has three children in her care.
Susana, primary school teacher, He left home an hour earlier than usual to make sure he got to work on time.. He knows that buses are scarce and that the waiting time at stops is longer than normal, so he did not want to risk arriving late. “Since last week we have been suffering from a lack of buses, the few that circulate are full, and apparently this week will be worse because the lines at the pumps are getting longer,” he said.
Segundino Ricaldi, public transport leader, stated that the situation is increasingly complicated and that this Monday only between 20% and 30% of the buses came out to lend the service because the rest are lining up at the pumps. “The drivers have been sleeping at the pumps since Friday. The queues continue, there is no diesel, if before we had 50% of the units operating, now we do not even reach 20% or 30%,” he lamented.
About 10,000 buses operate in the city and most of the units It runs on diesel, so the lack fuel consumption directly affects service.
Ricaldi pointed out that they do not rule out mobilizations, since there are affected families who are not managing to generate economic income and the user is also being harmed. “We are going to have to get together with all the unions and cooperatives, and go out to block to make us feel some way,” he warned.
“One day we work and the next day we are in lines. The helplessness is great, we cannot work and we have to support our families,” said one of the drivers who had been in line for hours.
In Concepción the taxi drivers decided to go up the cost of the ticket to Bs 4.
Half services
For its part, the Municipal Government reported this Monday that garbage collection services, street maintenance and citizen security operations They are running at 50% due to diesel shortage.
The Mayor’s Office issued a statement appealing to the population’s understanding and ensuring that efforts are being made to return to normal services. “Given the diesel shortage, garbage collection servicesstreet maintenance and citizen security operational groups are not fully carrying out the scheduled work, since they are reduced by up to 50%, a situation that is out of our hands,” says part of the statement.
