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The Belo Horizonte City Council endorsed an initiative that will benefit specific segments of the city’s population. We will explain further.
Belo Horizonte’s legislative institution sanctioned a measure that will benefit certain segments of the city’s population.
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Free public transportation will be extended to students, women who are victims of violence traveling to obtain assistance, and residents of favelas and villages who depend on the bus lines serving these areas. We will clarify!
Free transportation for vulnerable groups
In addition to granting free passes to students and women who are victims of violence, the measure endorsed by the City Council includes other social inclusion initiatives in the public transportation system. There is a proposal to create transportation assistance for individuals receiving treatment through the Unified Health System (SUS) and families in situations of social vulnerability.
Additionally, the municipality will be permitted to allocate additional budget credits, up to a maximum of R$ 25,859,089.80, with the aim of providing free transportation to the entire population on Sundays and holidays.
Towards implementation and impact on spending
For these measures to take effect, Mayor Fuad Noman must sanction them, followed by subsequent regulation. Approval in the second vote in the City Council indicates significant progress, but there are still steps to be completed.
Bill (PL) 538 of 2023 incorporated these free-fare benefits into municipal public transportation. In return for the authorization that council members granted the city government to increase public transportation subsidies, exceeding half a billion reais in the current budget, these measures were established.
The expectation is that, with the increase in resources, the fare in the municipality may be reduced. The current fare can reach R$ 6, varying according to the route.
Example in São Paulo
It is important to note that the idea of providing free public transportation is not limited to Belo Horizonte.
In the city of São Paulo, for example, legislators from the City Council's Finance and Budget Committee proposed a bill (PL) to offer free public transportation passes to citizens registered with the Single Registry (CadÚnico) and unemployed people listed in the General Register of Employed and Unemployed Persons (Caged).
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