Public transport buses in Manaus returned to operating with 100% of the fleet at around 3:30 pm this Tuesday (22), according to the Union of Passenger Transport Companies of the State of Amazonas (Sinetram). Circulation had been affected since late morning, following a bus stoppage that affected different regions of the city.
Bus workers paralyzed part of the public transport system in Manaus on their own, around 10:40 am. The reason was the lack of payment to workers, which was scheduled to occur until the 20th of this month.
Sinetram did not say whether the workers' demands were met, nor what motivated the fleet's return to the streets.
The strike affected bus circulation in different regions of the city. During the period, some lines continued to operate, but with a reduced fleet, while passengers reported long waits at terminals and bus stops.
At Terminal 3, in the North Zone, Ana Cristina said that she arrived at the location around 10:30 am, after leaving an internship at Platão Araújo. She was on her way to another internship when she was surprised by the strike.
"I arrived here at 10:30 am and no bus. I'm coming from my internship at Platão Araújo, I was going to my other internship and there was this stoppage. It's already going to harm me. Now I'm going to have to get this information to pass on to my supervisor. I'm going to have to wait for them to return", he said.
Also at the terminal, Maria do Socorro stated that she had been waiting for around two hours for line 415 to go to work, at Praça 14.
"It was very like that, secretive, they didn't warn anything, it left everyone like that. Just standing still?", he asked.
Student Angélica was also affected by the strike as she tried to return home.
"It's going to get in the way because I have my things to do. I was going home now and there's no bus. I'm going to wait and see if it goes back to normal. It's bad to stay here in this hot sun", he said.
In the Aleixo neighborhood, in the Central-South Zone, student Ellen Christine, aged 18, reported that she had been waiting for around an hour and a half for the bus on line 519.
“The bus was four minutes away, two minutes away and then it increased to 51. We've been waiting here for an hour,” he declared.
She also complained about the lack of information for passengers.
“We've been here for an hour and a half waiting in this absurd heat and we can't afford it because we weren't notified even on the bus app,” he said.
Bus lines stopped at Terminal 3 during strike this Tuesday (22) — Photo: Karla Melo/Rede Amazônica
Strike
According to the Manaus Road Transport Workers Union (STTRM), the strike occurred independently, without the entity's participation.
Manaus City Hall informed, through the Municipal Institute of Urban Mobility (IMMU), which is monitoring the situation and stated that the movement was not previously communicated by the union.
The city hall also reported that it is maintaining dialogue with representatives of companies and workers to seek a solution to the strike.
According to municipal management, Sinetram attributes the companies' financial difficulties to delays in transfers from the Amazonas government relating to the state network's Student Free Pass.
The City of Manaus stated that it maintains the benefit intended for students in the municipal network and that the participation of the Amazonas government in paying for students in the state network is discussed in court.
Public transport users waiting for buses at T3 during bus stoppages — Photo: Karla Melo/Rede Amazônica
