Public transport in Rio Branco should be reinforced with another 20 buses, says city hall Richard Lauriano / Rede Amazônica A week after the reduction of the public transport fleet in Rio Branco, the capital still operates with only 39 buses in circulation since last Monday (6), equivalent to around 41% of the 94 vehicles considered necessary to meet the city's entire demand. To try to reduce the impacts faced by passengers, the Municipal Transport and Traffic Superintendency (RBTrans) informed that the operation should be reinforced with 20 more buses by next Saturday (18). ? Join the g1 AC channel on WhatsApp ? Context: The reduction occurred after part of the Ricco Transportes e Turismo buses were seized by court decision on June 30, a situation that caused long queues at stops, crowded buses and an increase in passenger waiting times. According to the superintendent of RBTrans, Marcos Roberto Coutinho, Ricco Transportes e Turismo was notified to increase the number of vehicles in circulation and should make 10 more buses available between this Tuesday (14) and Wednesday (15). ?Check HERE the complete list of lines in operation and those that remain without service City Hall discusses alternative with owners of vans and minibuses in public transport Furthermore, according to him, a team from the Municipal Attorney General's Office (PGM) and RBTrans itself traveled to Brasília to try to release other vehicles. "We notified the company [Ricco] last week and it promptly responded. Between Tuesday [14] and Wednesday [15] it should increase its fleet by another 10 buses. We also have a team from PGM and RBTrans going to Brasília to try to release another 12 buses. Probably by Saturday [18] the fleet will be increased by around 20 buses. It's not ideal, but at least it starts to alleviate the situation we are going through today", he explained. READ MORE: Transition of Rio Branco's public transport to a new company will be done within 90 days, says city hall Public transport crisis: Less than half of the fleet operates in Rio Branco; see lines Taxi-capacity of R$ 5 starts operating in Rio Branco after bus seizure; see how it will work While seeking to increase the number of buses in circulation, the capital's city hall is also continuing with the transition process to JTP Transportes, Serviços, Gestão e Recursos Humanos LTDA, a company contracted to take over the capital's public transport. The contract is emergency, lasts one year and provides for a transition of up to 90 days. During this period, Ricco will continue to operate to avoid service interruptions, while the new company installs a garage, implements the electronic ticketing system and prepares the start of operations. Vans and minibuses Another alternative studied by the city hall to reduce the impacts of the crisis is the temporary authorization for vans and minibuses to also begin transporting passengers. According to Coutinho, a first meeting with vehicle owners took place last Saturday (11), but there was still no consensus on the operating model. However, according to him, new negotiations should take place this Monday (13). According to the superintendent, the intention is for the vans to operate in a model similar to the public taxi, authorized on an emergency basis since the buses were seized. "We want to reach a consensus that is good for the city hall, for the owners and for society. The mayor declared an emergency situation because he understands the population's needs. We also understand the owners' side, but society cannot pay this bill alone", he said. The taxi service continues to be temporarily authorized in the regions most affected by fleet reduction, charging R$5 per passenger. New company City Hall's expectation is that JTP will begin fully operating at the beginning of September, even before the maximum deadline set for the transition. The new operation will have a fleet of 120 buses. According to the city hall, 60 vehicles will be new and all will have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, cell phone chargers, accessibility and a GPS system for real-time monitoring of the operation. The new contract also provides for stricter monitoring of compliance with schedules and travel, in addition to the creation of four new lines to serve regions with greater demand. According to the city hall, the transition of public transport from Rio Branco to a new company will be made within 90 days Lucas Thadeu / Rede Amazônica ?Crisis in public transport The problems in public transport intensified when the Acre Court complied with a precatory letter issued by the Federal District Court and seized part of the fleet of the company Ricco Transportes e Turismo. The court decision ordered the repossession of 50 buses due to the company's debt of almost R$3 million. To avoid an even greater collapse in the system, the Precatory Letters Court initially authorized the seizure of 38 vehicles, as the company also has labor debts and the employees were on notice. With the removal of buses from circulation, public transport began to operate with a reduced fleet. Passengers face long lines, crowded buses and increased waiting times. According to RBTrans, the first 30 days of the extension will be used for implementing electronic ticketing, installing the JTP garage and hiring employees. Over the next 30 days, the new fleet will gradually arrive. Passengers faced crowding at the Rio Branco Urban Terminal after the seizure of Ricco buses on June 30 Hugo Costa / Rede Amazônica The reduction in bus supply also affected the operation of the Federal University of Acre (Ufac). After temporarily suspending face-to-face activities due to the academic community's travel difficulties, students approved, last Thursday (9), an indefinite strike. According to the Central Student Directory (DCE), the strike will be maintained until there is a solution to the crisis in public transport. VIDEOS: g1 VIDEOS: Review g1 news in 1 minute-AC| in G1 / AC / Acre