At least four routes, two intercity and two intermunicipal, increased their rates as of this Holy Wednesday, users denounced on social networks, pointing out that the increase is illegal because the notices published in the transport units do not have the seal or signature of the Ministry. Transport and Infrastructure (MTI), which must authorize any rate increase.
The Ticuantepe-Managua route went from costing 12 to 15 cordobas as of this Tuesday, April 12; the routes that travel from Managua to Ciudad Sandino began to charge 50 cents of córdobas additional to the six that it cost. Meanwhile, the interlocal buses that depart from the UCA terminal to León increased their fare from 71 to 78 córdobas. And as of this Holy Thursday, the cooperatives that travel from the UCA to Jinotepe will charge four more cordobas; went from 40 to 44.
A source linked to the transport sector explained that the cooperatives have held talks with the MTI to increase the rate, mainly due to the constant increases in fuel.
The proposal that was negotiated on the route that covers Managua-Jinotepe was for eight córdobas, but the established increase was four. However, this new increase is not being publicly supported by the MTI, by not signing or sealing the notices about the new rate that were placed in the transport units.
“The MTI washes its hands and leaves the lawsuit between the cooperative members and the users… the MTI does not want to be responsible for the increase in this rate,” considers the anonymous source. He added that the rate increase is nationwide, but the percentage varies by route.
For his part, a representative of the Empresa de Transportes Múltiples (Etramul) – which coordinates route 210 – confirmed to the newspaper La Prensa that the increase of 50 cents on the Managua-Ciudad Sandino route had not been made official by the MTI, but they were in conversations. Meanwhile, the increase – equivalent to 8.3% – was their decision.
Since last week it was known that the MTI was negotiating an increase in inter-municipal transport that would range between 20%, for the ordinary ticket, and 25%, for the express service, as confirmed by the media on Matagalpa, Carazo and Managua. However, in the case of interlocal buses that travel from the capital to Jinotepe, the increase was 10%.
10% increase in fares for routes traveling north
The president of the Cooperativa de Transportes del Norte (Cotran), Francisco Moreno Rodríguez, confirmed to CONFIDENTIAL that the increase in the passage of the routes that travel to the north of the country is 10% and became effective from Wednesday, April 13.
Last week he had told the Matagalpa magazine Mosaico that the new rates had already been negotiated with the MTI and that he expected their officialization at Easter.
“With those four years (from 2018 to date) without having a tariff revision, more than 14% of currency devaluation has accumulated and all our costs are dollarized, the only thing that is not dollarized is labor and minor expenses. , but spare parts, oil, mechanical labor, prices have skyrocketed and they have suffocated us”, he explained to Mosaico.
The last adjustment to intermunicipal transport rates was applied in March 2018, a month before a wave of protests against the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo broke out in Nicaragua.
This new increase comes days after the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Nicaraguan Institute of Energy announced that the Government would assume 100% of the increase in fuels during the Holy Week. According to official information, the increase in diesel -higher consumption- during this week would be 13.63 cordobas per gallon.
This is not the first time that the Ortega regime has taken advantage of Holy Week – characterized by the increase in travel – to increase the cost of inter-municipal tickets without prior notice; a similar situation occurred in 2017.
