Traffic chaos due to a protest of tourist bus owners in Plaza de Mayo

Owners of long-distance buses protested this morning in downtown Buenos Aires and interrupted traffic in the areas around Plaza de Mayo to demand a solution from the government to face the expiration of the deadlines for the renewal of vehicles.

As is customary in these actions since the coronavirus pandemic started, drivers began with their claim with a traffic cut on Avenida San Juan and 9 de Julio in the Constitución neighborhood and then moved to Plaza de Mayo.

“We have been making a claim two years ago for units that have expired during the pandemic. We are not asking for money or subsidies, but that the units to expire have their two-year extension in order to continue working,” explained one of the spokesmen of the claim.

The protest action involving between 15 and 20 units was prevented from moving forward when the owners of the buses moved to the Buenos Aires microcenter, in the areas surrounding the Cabildo, and encountered a police fence, so they remained at the height of Diagonal Sur and Bolívar streets.

“We met from San Juan and 9 de Julio, we didn't want to interrupt traffic and we came to Plaza de Mayo to be heard here. We told them we were coming and they cut us off,” added the spokesman.

The owners of the units announced that “they will stay as long as necessary” to obtain a solution from the Ministry of Transport of the Nation and warned that the National Cabinet Headquarters were also notified of the allegation. In that context, they specified that they have already given a six-month extension period and that it should be extended for another year and a half.

“Let's hope that our rulers are a little more benevolent about something that doesn't involve money for the state, just a signature so that we can continue working and have two more years of extension,” said one of the protest spokesmen.

He concluded: “We proposed that the microphones (not renewed) have a technical verification every two months so that they can circulate. They tell us that they are working and we have been here for two years.”

A week ago, the Government went one step further to normalize all terrestrial microbus activity, following the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic. The Ministry of Transport of the Nation officially rehabilitated the reinstatement of passenger land transport services with Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia and Peru.

After two years of preventive measures, and following a series of bilateral meetings held by Minister Alexis Guerrera with authorities from those countries, Argentina re-established tourist land corridors with the main nations of the region. The last country of the 6 mentioned to be signed was Bolivia, which did so a few days ago as part of a virtual meeting, in which the reopening of the borders between the two countries was officially established with the rehabilitation of the safe corridors located at the border crossings of La Quiaca - Villazón (neighborhood transit) border from 7 to 24 hours, and tourist safe corridor from 8 am to 4 pm); and at the Salvador Mazza - Yacuiba border crossing point (from 8 am to 4 pm).

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