Metro strike affects 3 million people in SP: “I have no alternative to get to work”

This Thursday (23) marks one month since cleaning assistant Andrea Guimarães started a new job. She was worried that she would not be able to get to her place of work.

“I called there and explained the situation. My only transportation alternative would be by app. But the trip is costing R$170. Impossible!”, he concluded.

She is one of the nearly three million people who were affected by the subway strike in São Paulo. The employees asked for the payment of bonuses and participation in the results of the Metrô, in addition to hiring more personnel.

On the other hand, the company reported that it had tried all forms of negotiation, but that the payment would not be possible for financial reasons, since the collection decreased after the pandemic.

During the morning, the subway announced that the turnstiles of the affected lines would be released, with free entry, as soon as 100% of the category returned to work. After the announcement, the Union of Subway Workers requested, in a live on social networks, that employees return to their posts.

Without the service working, chaos took over the capital of São Paulo. As an alternative to the Metro, more buses were put into circulation and the itinerary of some lines was extended.

Trains were also an option. CPTM lines operated normally throughout the day.

For those who have a car, the city hall suspended the rotation of license plates. But the traffic got complicated. The value of transportation per app has also gone up.

The solution for many people was to wait. The stations were filled with people waiting for the gates to open.

“I have no alternative to get to work. I’ve been here for hours waiting for the Metro to open. For me, there is no way”, said Rafael Rodrigues.