How is Mexico City Supporting Public Transportation Players?

Mexico City is supporting public transportation operators to cope with the decreasing number of users following the social distancing measures that have been implemented. During a press conference, Mexico City's Governor Claudia Sheibaum announced public transportation demand is currently at 20-30 percent of its regular numbers.

The city’s mobility strategy has integrated different transportation systems into a single system that is more user-friendly. The Metro, Metrobús, Trolebús, light trains and RTP, a passenger's transportation network composed by common passenger busses, are part of the public transportation system that in a typical day serves 8.62 million daily trips just in the Mexico City area.

Through SEMOVI, Mexico City's Ministry of Mobility, the government is supporting RTP drivers who have seen a considerable decrease in their earnings. The program will provide incentives to bus drivers that go from MX$4,000 (US$167) to MX$6,000 (US$251) that can be used for fuel. The government will start delivering the money in the last week of May.

In Mexico City there are 103 bus routes operated by third parties which have a different number of units assigned. Third parties operating 76 routes with at least a unit per route have already registered for the program. According to SEMOVI, as of April 24, 2,000 bus units were registered to the program.

The city's government has started negotiations with financial institutions both from OEMs and private banks to provide extensions on any credit taken to acquire new units. Volvo Financial Services, Daimler, Mercader, Autofin, Su Auto, MIFEL, AFIRME and Santander México are among the financial institutions that have agreed to the initiative. Most of them will concede an extension between three to four months for those that comply with the requirements set by each financial company.

Sanitization measures are carried out constantly in public transportation buses. According to SEMOVI's figures, 15,735 sanitation processes have been performed. Twelve checkpoints have also been set to verify social distancing measures during rush hours and all drivers go through their own checkpoint before accessing the bus. In addition, some bus stations were reorganized to prevent crowds near hospitals. "Drivers' response to the situation has been very positive. It is not a surprise given the constant communication we have with them. There are routes that even give masks to every passenger. These are measures that we consider important for public transportation," says Andrés Lajous, Mexico City's Minister of Mobility.