:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/C546QELNCRANZHMSYES7PQBMFI.jpg "Despite the increase, AMBA continues to have the cheapest bus ticket in the country")
As of this Wednesday, the minimum bus ticket costs $37.10 in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA), after recording a 6% increase, according to the increase in the consumer price index (CPI). The increase has had a total impact on the pockets of millions of people who use public transport daily, but the truth is that they will continue to pay less than what Argentines in the rest of the country pay.
Increase in transport: how much will the minimum bus and train ticket cost from March
From next Wednesday, a new fee schedule for transport in the AMBA will be in effect with a 6% increase, updated on the basis of the latest inflation index.
According to a survey carried out by GlobeLiveMedia, AMBA bus tickets are still the cheapest in Argentina. In fact, there are cities where the tickets double or even triple the value of the joint ticket paid in CABA and in the province of Buenos Aires.
In detail, the “minimum ticket” of greatest value is the one paid in Neuquen. In this province, users pay at least $130 for each trip, or $92.90 more than AMBA users. Until a few weeks ago, the ticket price for the Neuquén transport service was $81, but on February 13 it rose by 60%, becoming the most expensive ticket in the country.
The government has announced that the bus strike has been lifted and that in the next few hours the service will begin to normalize
As of 00:00 this Monday, more than 50 lines that operate in AMBA do not provide service until their staff are paid a salary debt
In this way, silver sea was moved to second place. In the coastal city, the cheapest ticket is priced at $119.38. As, Bariloche (Río Negro) continues with a minimum ticket of $115.
You can also find many other examples of cities or provinces with much higher value city fares than AMBA. In fact, there are 14 cities with minimum tickets that double the $37.10 charged in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area.
They deserve a separate mention. Santa Fe, Rosario and Cordobawhose tickets rose 16.4% on February 6 ($85 to $99), making them the fourth most expensive ticket in the country.
With new $300m fine pending, Matías Tombolini toughens up fair pricing: ‘We’re going to avoid abuse’
The Commerce Secretary has warned of a harsh penalty for a company and warned that the government now has better tools to control. “We work to create order and predictability, but also to prevent abuse,” he said.
What is striking, beyond the noticeable difference between the most accessible tickets, is that only jurisdictions have minimum bus tickets that exceed the highest value paid in the AMBA. Recall that the $37.10 ticket is paid for trips of up to 3 kilometers, but the value rises to $41.34 when a distance of between 3 and 6 kilometers is traveled; at $44.52 for between 6 and 12 kilometres; at $47.70 for sections between 12 and 27 kilometers; and $50.88 if the route exceeds 27 kilometres.
According to data collected by GlobeLiveMedia, only public transport users in Santiago del Estero ($50), Tasks ($50), La Rioja ($47) y Ushuaia ($47) pay more for the minimum ticket than what AMBA citizens pay for the most expensive tickets ($50.88).
Although many factors go into determining the value of the bus fare, the most critical point in trying to explain the huge discrepancies that exist across the country is the distribution of funds for transport subsidies.
According to a study carried out by the consulting firm political chaosIn the first nine months of last year, the national government allocated a total of $129,931.6 million to the provinces for the Compensation funds and tariff compensations. Of this total, 78.1% went to AMBA ($101,492.2 million) and the rest was distributed among the other jurisdictions.
Although it is logical that AMBA’s participation is greater (due to population density), official statistics show that the distribution was not comparable to the weight of its population. It is that even by adding the total number of inhabitants of CABA there Province of Buenos Aires 20,689,665 people are affected, according to the 2022 census made by him indec, which represents 44.9% of the total population of Argentina. The remaining 55.1% is spread across the rest of the country, with significant participation from cities that dominate the minimum ticket ranking, such as Santa Fe, Rosario and Córdoba.
Continue reading: