The mayor of Rio informed that the measure will be to help contain the expansion of the pandemic and that it may remain 24 hours without circulating.
This Thursday (19th) the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro informed that if the recommendations to avoid overcrowding public transport are not complied with, it is possible that the circulation of the BRT will be suspended.
Measure that aims to reduce the possibilities of spreading the coronavirus. And it will only happen if the other recommendations decided today by the city hall have no effect.
“If, with these measures, there is civil disobedience by businessmen, system operators and passengers, the BRT will be suspended. We hope this never happens. This will be our failure as a society. However, if we fail, the BRT will be suspended for 24 hours and then even for longer periods,” said Mayor Marcelo Crivella.
In Rio de Janeiro, the BRT connects the west zone and the south zone of the city, where there are more cases of Covid-19, according to the city hall.
The Department of Road Transport of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Detro), in an ordinance published this Tuesday (17). Determined that public transport vehicles and tourism companies that circulate in the metropolitan region of the state, carry passengers only seated. The determination, according to Crivella, has been breached.
“Once again, I ask drivers to please not stop at the bus stop when your vehicle is full of seats. If the bus fills up, the driver has the authority to stop the bus, put the key in his pocket and refuse to continue. In defense of the lives of the people who are there and of his own”, he said.
BRT Rio
According to BRT Rio, there is a drop in the number of passengers. If you compare this last Monday (16th) with the previous week, there was a drop of around 30%.
Through a note, the Union of Bus Companies of the City of Rio de Janeiro (Rio Ônibus), which includes companies that operate passenger road transport in the city of Rio de Janeiro and the BRT system, said that it is working continuously with the authorities public and companies, to control the boarding and capacity of buses in the city. Despite the effort, the Union warned that it is not possible to enforce the prefecture's determination of non-circulation of transport with standing passengers, without the support of the authorities. "We understand the gravity and appeal for support", they said.
transport inspection
According to Crivella, the aim is to intensify inspection of public transport in the city. And for this achievement, this Thursday (19) sent a request to the City Council to change the scale of municipal guards. From 60 hours off for every 12 hours worked to a day of 36 hours off for every 12 hours worked. This change will be for as long as there is still the fight against the Covid-19.
The mayor claims that the increase in the guards' journey will make it possible to intensify inspection, which is currently concentrated in the main stations, for the other boarding and disembarking points.
To avoid overcrowding, the mayor also asks that all vehicles are circulating, which will be monitored in the garages by inspectors from the Municipal Transport Department.
“I appeal to entrepreneurs. We are not prioritizing anyone's profit, we are prioritizing people's lives, in such a way that buses must circulate, they must all go to the streets. This will shorten the gap between them,” he said.
