At a time when democracy is threatened by screams, grenades and rifles, São Paulo celebrates free municipal transport for the second round of elections. More than 200 civil society organizations claimed the measure for next Sunday and, this Monday (24), Mayor Ricardo Nunes granted it. Thus, the municipal buses will have their turnstiles locked (those who enter through the front door will disembark through it, for example) between 6 am and 8 pm, exceptionally, and the fleet will be reinforced by 2,000 vehicles.
The decision came after pressure from society, represented by a group of civil society organizations that were at the city hall to discuss democratic access to the polls. After all, considering the more than BRL 4 billion in subsidies provided by the municipality to bus companies throughout 2022, how insignificant is the amount of BRL 7 million (0.2%), operating cost on election day?
Ensuring free transport is promoting a right of the population, but it also allows fulfilling an obligation, considering that voting in Brazil is mandatory. Access to commuting in cities is a way of encouraging the right and duty to vote, as well as accessing public services, job opportunities and income. The São Paulo Inequality Map already reported that, in 2021, there was a rate of formal job offers varying 290 times between the districts of Sé and Iguatemi, in the far east of the city. That is, while residents of the central region have opportunities close to their homes, others spend time and money to access the same opportunities.
In a complementary way, the survey Living in São Paulo: Mobility points out that, in the last year, 43% of São Paulo residents stopped visiting friends or family members who live in other neighborhoods of the city due to the price of the transport fare. The percentage reaches 32% who stopped going to medical appointments and 29% stopped looking for a job, reinforcing accessible and quality transport as a great differential in the fight against territorial inequalities.
Much more than a political position at the moment, the choice of gratuity sends a message of encouraging the participation of society and strengthening democracy. In a period of strong discredit in politics and politicians, society’s reaction has been to reduce its participation. A recent survey carried out by Ipec for the Sustainable Cities Institute showed that 7 out of 10 Brazilians are not interested in participating in the country’s public life.
The gesture of gratuity is of political grandeur and generates empathy, at a time when the economic crisis and inflation are tightening the belts of a large part of the population. In these times, sensitivity can bring politics closer to the population. We hope that the achievements of this election will be consolidated as public policy, since the participation of society is the first step of future interest in politics, so that they can stimulate and demand the candidates they voted for.
The 1988 Constitution guaranteed the full exercise of political participation by all Brazilians. In the current conflicting scenario, this right was reinforced by several Public Defenders and by the STF itself, with recommendations and lawsuits, aiming at free elections. The institutions’ commitment reinforces the movement of civil society, which has already achieved free municipal transport in the second round in 178 Brazilian cities —including all capitals, except Rio Branco—, thus reaching more than 50 million voters, which corresponds to approximately one third of the country’s total.
Voters in these cities will be able to access the polls for free. In a year in which abstention exceeded 20%, the highest in general elections since 1998, the position of municipal governments may have even more weight in the decision-making process. A Datafolha survey pointed out that 2% of voters who did not go to vote mentioned lack of money as a reason and 8% cited that the polling place is too far away.
More important than knowing who they will vote for is the certainty that they will be exercising their right to participation and citizenship. Election is a civic party, and nothing better than having free transport to attend.
I have over 8 years of experience working in the news industry. I have worked as a reporter, editor, and now managing editor at 247 News Agency. I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the news website and overseeing all of the content that is published. I also write a column for the website, covering mostly market news.
