Overview
- At a ceremony in Sete Lagoas, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva marked the start of deliveries by handing over 324 buses under the Caminhos da Escola program.
- The federal government says 1,000 vehicles are now entering distribution in this phase, with allocations scheduled to reach municipalities nationwide through June.
- Shipments will depart simultaneously from industrial hubs in Caxias do Sul (RS) and São Mateus (ES) to expand access for rural, riverside and hard-to-reach communities.
- Officials estimate the new fleet can serve up to 120,000 students across three school shifts, reinforcing efforts to keep children in class.
- Since its creation in 2007, the program has delivered more than 43,000 vehicles, including at least 12,960 since 2023, after an earlier PAC stage funded 1,500 buses with R$750 million; Lula also highlighted domestic production at an Iveco plant and announced plans to buy vans for dental clinics.