State Secretary for Transport and Urban Mobility Priscilla Sakarem has admitted that reducing Rio’s metro and train fares to R4.70 is “unfeasible”. The possibility, announced by his predecessor, Washington Reis, in May, was contingent on Gov. Claudio Castro’s signature. In a letter sent to the Sub-Secretariat for Communications and Advertising signed on the 30th, the current owners of the portfolio call for the cancellation of an advertising campaign with a budget of 15 million reais that was supposed to promote the news, citing the budget constraints faced by the country as the reason.
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In May, O GLOBO consulted with the then-Secretary of Transport, who estimated that the tariff reduction would add 500,000 passengers to rail transport each day. The number of users on the metro, which currently costs 7.90 reais, will increase from 650,000 to 900,000, and the number of users on the train (currently 7.60 reais) will increase from 358,000 to 600,000. At the time, Washington Reis estimated that it would cost the national exchequer R$500 million in 2026, a figure taken from the Fund for the Eradication of Poverty (FECP).
On April 7 this year, Reis sent a letter to Nicola Miccione, Secretary of the House of Citizens, and Igor Marquez, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Communication and Advertising, requesting them to implement an advertising campaign – called “Tarifa RJ” – announcing “the fairest and most accessible values for the people.” The next day, after an exchange of letters, the event was approved by the then-Secretary of Transportation.
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A share of this amount will be divided among four advertising agencies responsible for production and media and media execution. The process, which had been suspended since July, resumed on the 30th, with Sakarem saying that lowering subway and train fares would not be possible, adding: “We have to cancel our promotional plans.” The Permanent Secretary for Social Communication and Advertising was then summoned to take “appropriate measures”.
This year, ferry fares were reduced following an agreement between Barcas Rio and the city of Niteroi. Charitas fares go from 21 BRL to 7.70 BRL, while Arariboia, Cocota and Paqueta lines, which previously cost 7.70 BRL, now cost 4.70 BRL.
The state government reported in a statement that it “has not abandoned the public policy of lowering transport fares,” but said, “Given the budget deficit forecast for 2026, this decision must take into account our responsibility to the public purse.” “The State Office of Transportation and Urban Mobility has been asked to conduct a study on how to make the new fees viable, assessing the state’s current financial reality and future projections,” according to the memo. Regarding the advertising campaign, the government informed that “unused resources may be returned and used for other activities.”
Metrorio also commented on the decision, saying: “We believe it is essential to implement a fare policy that makes rail transport more accessible to the residents of Rio de Janeiro.” The stakeholder emphasized that Rio’s fares are the most expensive in Brazil. That’s precisely because Rio is the only system in the country without universal subsidies for passengers. According to the company, in other cities the subsidy exceeds 50% of the technical fee (operating cost), and “if similar measures were implemented in Rio de Janeiro, the utility fee would be less than R4.00.” Finally, Metrorio announced that it “continues to communicate with state governments to analyze best practices and policies with the aim of contributing to the realization of pricing policy solutions that encourage the use of mass transit.”
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