Platforms without buses and a queue of passengers with no prediction of when they will be able to board to their destinations: this was the scenario at the Tietê Bus Terminal, in the north zone of the capital of São Paulo. Trips to cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis and Curitiba were canceled because of federal roadblocks.
Every day, 80,000 people travel through the bus station, considered one of the largest in Latin America. The administration informed that it still cannot say what the real impact was on the movement or when the matches will be reestablished. Passengers with tickets to various locations across the country were apprehensive.
“I’m worried, afraid of standing in the middle of the road. The trip from São Paulo to Pará takes three days. Imagine if I am still in this blockade”, said journalist Gilcimar Fernandes da Silva, 35, who was going to Pará.
Also according to the concessionaire that manages the terminal and the bus station of Barra Funda, some buses that left on Monday (31) bound for Rio de Janeiro returned to São Paulo after remaining stopped on the roads for hours. Therefore, the sale of tickets to places where there are blocks on the way has been suspended, until the situation returns to normal.
The orientation is that passengers look for the vehicles to reschedule their trips or to get a refund. The operation and other services of the Tietê and Barra Funda Terminal are still in full operation.
In Rio de Janeiro, all trips leaving the Novo Rio Bus Station towards São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Northeast and South of the country are suspended. The expectation of movement at the terminal this Tuesday (01), the eve of a holiday, was that ten thousand people boarded to different destinations, but, according to the administration, the movement was impacted by the interdictions caused on the country’s highways.
On Monday (31), there were five thousand fewer passengers, for the same reason, which represents 40% of the expected movement for the day.
food supply
Another reflection of the blockades imposed by the protesters, unhappy with the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the presidential elections last Sunday (30), is in the supply of various products.
The Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo (Ceagesp) reported that there was a 17% reduction in the number of vehicles entering the supply center this Tuesday (01) compared to the same day last week. They attribute the drop in part to demonstrations on the highways, but also to holidays and colder weather, which tend to reduce attendance at the site. Comparing the Mondays of this week and the previous week, the reduction in vehicle entry was approximately 5.52%.
Despite the decrease, Ceagesp discards the possibility of shortages. “We talked to some producers and licensees and the market is supplied. There is no shortage of goods”, explained the head of the Economy Section, Thiago de Oliveira.
The president of the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras), João Galassi, said that some supermarkets have already started to have difficulties with supply. He asked President Jair Bolsonaro for support to resolve the situation.
In a statement, the Ministry of Infrastructure reported that the Federal Highway Police monitors the situation and acts to release the roads.
Source: CNN Brasil
