In the country different factors are affected the cost of some goods and services. Inflation, fuel prices and low accessibility to some supplies have caused some companies to tighten their belts and sacrifice part of their profit margin.
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In the case of the passenger transport sector, for the first time in more than seven years, a increase in operating expenses (quarterly variation) above 5%, because according to Dane, in the first quarter of 2022 the Intermunicipal Transportation Cost Index increased 5.01%, compared to the last quarter of 2021.
The highest figure recorded until then was an increase of 3.73%, which was evident during the first three months of 2017.
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Fixed costs are among the costs that have most affected the pockets of entrepreneurs. These comprise the parking expenses, insurance, vehicle costs, taxes and labor. This item, according to figures from Dane, reached an increase of 8.15% compared to the last quarter of 2021 and comprises 31% of the operating expenses of intermunicipal transportation companies.
Followed by this category is the increase in tolls and the use of terminals, which reached an increase of 5.6% for this period of time, which affected 20% of the company’s operating costs.
In the case of inputs, a group that includes filters, lubricants and tires had a growth of 5.16% compared to quarterly.
Among cost classes, the top of the list is the variation in the vehicle insurance category with 10.6%, followed by the value of labor, which increased 9.3%.
VIEW OF THE SECTOR
In this regard, transport companies have shown their concern about the rise in supplies to operatebecause by not raising costs to be more competitive, they are losing a profit margin.
“It has been very difficult, for us it is not easy to transfer the cost to the users, what we have sought is to make the resources efficient to manage the situation. But, for example, spare parts have had an impressive increase due to the scarcity that exists, this is due to the fact that maritime transport has become too expensive and times have been reduced, there is no dispatch and they take advantage of that”, Javier Jaramillo stressed to Portafolio , manager of Expreso Palmira.
Likewise, the businessman pointed out the impact that it has had, above all, the price of some spare parts, “which have even been able to double”. In the case of tires have gone up several times in price and affect the profits of the company. “Only tires have had two rises, one of 15% and then 7%, that is, they have risen 22% and they are announcing a rise of 10% more for the following month, it is worrying,” he indicated.
Jose Yesid Rodríguez, president of the Association for the Comprehensive Development of Intermunicipal Land Transport (Aditt) stressed that although there are costs that rise every year, there are concerns about the rise that has been occurring.
“Fixed costs have increased in the first quarter, some are salaries, administrative costs, leases, inspections and insurance policies. These costs drive the index that has to do with passenger transport. But what really worries us this year is a rise in the price of fuel, which is going to seriously affect the price index in the second and third quarters”, he pointed out.
Due to the above, companies have had to adjust so as not to increase the price of the transport service.
“What is being done by the companies is a rationalization, taking advantage of the fact that up to 100% of vehicle use can be sent up to this moment in order to mitigate these costs,” said the union leader.
In this way, the sector not only invites to use the service in a formal way and in specialized points, since due to the rise more informality can be seen, it also calls for tourism and avoid an increase in the cost of the service.
“The efficiency that the sector has is aimed at increasing vehicle occupancy so as not to have a direct effect on the user rate,” Rodríguez concluded.
PAULA ANDREA GALEANO
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