transportation

Bus fares could increase

Members of the Cámara Nacional del Transporte (Canatra), have asked President Martín Torrijos for a selective fare increase of 15 cents and a fuel subsidy. If approved, bus fare would rise from 25 to 40 cents.

"The cost of fuel, parts, and repairs is sky high. The subsidy does us no good; that's for the passenger. It used to cost 35 cents, but now its 25 cents, and Thursday, the new increase represents 20 cents more, which will eat up this benefit," said Luis Rodríguez, president of Canatra.

Rodríguez said that so as not to put the majority of the users at a disadvantage, his group has proposed charging 50 cents between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. and $1 between 12:01 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. It also proposed eliminating the fare subsidy for students.

The president of the bus drivers, who says he owns only one bus, also recalled a study done in 2005 by the Autoridad de Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (ATTT) which showed that, with the price of a gallon of diesel at $2.05, the owner of a bus was earning only $87.42 a month.

"With the prices we have now, what's left for the bus owner?" he asked.