Passengers spend the night at Tietê bus station after companies cancel trips

Passengers who had bus tickets to Rio de Janeiro and destinations in the south of the country spent the night at the Tietê bus station, in the north of São Paulo, waiting for the release of the highways occupied by protesters since Monday afternoon (31). ).

The coup blockades were organized to protest against the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the presidential elections this Sunday (30). Protesters set fire to tires and crossed trucks on the lanes to stop traffic on the highways.

According to Socicam, the bus station concessionaire, ticket sales and departures to the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis and Curitiba are still suspended. There is no forecast of normalization.

Some buses that left the bus station on Monday returned to the bus station after spending hours stopped, according to Socicam.

Sitting on a piece of cardboard borrowed from another passenger, the self-employed Francielio Luiz da Silva, 26, had been waiting for more than 24 hours for his ticket to be rescheduled to the state capital. The family used a Christmas decoration structure from the bus station to serve as a shelter.

“We are from Paraíba and we came looking for work, but as it is difficult to find, we are going to Rio to stay with my brother-in-law,” he said alongside the pregnant woman and her 7-year-old daughter. “[Os protestos] are harming the poor Brazilian, the family of others and not the [presidente recém-eleito] Lulu,” he continued.

Trader Marlon Stifter, 41, managed to board to Rio in the early afternoon of this Tuesday after waiting almost 24 hours. Faced with the interdiction of the Dutra highway, the company informed that the trip would be carried out by an alternative route along the Rio-Santos highway with a forecast of three more hours of travel.

The passenger lives in Indaiatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, and traveled to the capital of São Paulo where he would board for Rio for a work commitment. He stopped halfway. “I couldn’t even go back. I stayed up all night on the floor of the bus station,” he said.

Voter of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the merchant says he is in favor of the protests. “They could have done something before [das eleições] too,” he says.

In a statement, the JCA Group, which includes Cometa, 1001, Catarinense and Expresso do Sul, reported that part of the operation was affected by protests on the highways, but did not report the number of canceled trips. “Passengers with tickets for dates between 10/31 and 11/06 can reschedule their trips at the bus stations without charging fees or fines”, reads an excerpt from the note.

Governor Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB) announced this Tuesday that fines of BRL 100,000 per hour will be imposed for each vehicle that obstructs roads in the state of São Paulo. In addition, the protesters will be registered and, eventually, may be arrested. Military police officers may use police force in case of resistance.