Erundina: Nunes’ free pass is positive, but limited – 12/21/2023 – Panel

Forerunner of the idea of ​​zero fares for buses in the city of São Paulo, federal deputy Luiza Erundina (PSOL-SP) positively evaluates Mayor Ricardo Nunes’ (MDB) initiative to implement the free pass in the capital of São Paulo on Sundays.

However, he states that the project has great financial limitations and depends on national coordination so that the free service is truly sustainable.

The discussion on the topic in São Paulo began during her tenure as mayor, between 1989 and 1992, with Transport Secretary Lúcio Gregori at the helm. The proposal that the transport subsidy come from different IPTU rates, however, did not receive support in the City Council.

In 1991, Erundina launched five free bus lines to circulate in Cidade Tiradentes, in the east zone of São Paulo. The project was in force until 2000, when it was closed by Mayor Celso Pitta.

For Erundina, Nunes’ project and other municipal experiences are important for the population to incorporate the idea of ​​getting around the city into their routine without having to personally pay for the service.

She argues, however, that it is necessary to create a single mobility system, similar to the SUS, that involves the three levels of government and all modes (cars, subway, train, bus).

This system would be financed by a new tax and by municipal, state and federal resources, according to the proposed amendment authored by the deputy and currently being processed by the Constitution and Justice Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.

“This policy [de Nunes] It’s local, it has very large limits from a financial point of view. Without having revenue to cover the system, in a little while I don’t know if the city hall will have that amount of resources to maintain free provision as a whole”, he states.

Emedebista’s measure of implementing the free pass only on Sundays has an estimated annual cost of R$283 million.

Erundina states that the core of her proposal is the idea that individual use of public space has a cost that needs to be shared by the entire society.

“It is not fair that only the direct user covers the cost of a service that the city depends on to function. Access to work, school, medical services [dependem do transporte público]”, he concludes.

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