Overview
- Cities Minister Jader Filho said the country cannot postpone the zero-fare debate and that his ministry will move quickly once the Finance Ministry delivers its numbers requested by President Lula.
- After the fiscal analysis is presented, the Cities and Finance ministries plan to draft a joint proposal focused on a federative pact with contributions from all levels of government.
- Jader Filho argued that the current fare-based model no longer works, citing rapid deterioration of public transport and the loss of riders.
- Reporting based on technical assessments indicates implementation during the current term is unlikely, with the idea expected to feature in the 2026 electoral platform.
- The government is evaluating universal free fares and partial options such as Sundays and holidays, will consider municipal pilots, and has already committed nearly all of the recently released R$501.4 million in the Cities budget.