Bus companies in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) announced service frequency cuts starting Wednesday, April 1. The move follows a 25% diesel price increase in March. They cite a lack of official response despite prior complaints.
Business chambers for passenger transport in AMBA, including the Cámara del Transporte de la Provincia de Buenos Aires and the Cámara Empresaria del Transporte Urbano de Buenos Aires, announced the decision in a joint statement.
"The measure responds to the impossibility of maintaining usual service levels in the current context, with current revenues, and to the lack of reaction from authorities despite timely claims made to them," the document states.
Grade 2 diesel, the most used by buses, rose 25% in March to over 2,100 pesos per liter, the highest increase in two years according to the Federación Argentina de Entidades Empresarias del Autotransporte de Cargas (FADEEAC). In dollars, it reaches about $1.50 per liter, one of the decade's highest prices in the region.
Cristian Sanz, FADEEAC president, warned: “The disproportionate escalation in diesel prices is today the main concern [...] fuel represents a third of our cost structure.” He demanded immediate tariff updates to prevent sector shutdowns, as trucks handle 90% of Argentina's economy.
The companies apologized for inconveniences to users and reiterated an urgent request for official measures to ensure service continuity, which is in "serious risk."
