How much did the bus fare increase? Which was the province that presented the greatest increase in 2024? How much does the bus transportation represent today in relation to the average salary? In a report by the Innovation with Inclusion Foundation The fare modifications of public transportation throughout the country were detailed.
Throughout 2024, public transportation fares presented large increases in line with the national government’s objective of reducing spending on subsidies. In the investigation, data provided by the Argentine Association of Automotive Transport Entrepreneurs (AAETA) which surveys monthly tickets in 58 cities in the country.
According to what was observed, on average, bus fares increased 434% in 2024. The increase occurred mainly in the first months of the year: fares rose 95.8% in February and 97.6% in March. For the rest of the year, the monthly increase was reduced, although it always remained above inflation. In the blue dollar price, it would be 383 percent of the average annual value.
The province most affected by the increase was Santiago del Estero, which, from January to December of last year, had an average increase of 1,114 percent, followed by Tierra del Fuego with 994 percent and Catamarca closes the podium with 956 percent. As a counterpart, the provinces that perceived the increase the least were Buenos Aires with 270 percent, San Juan with 180 percent and La Rioja with 100 percent.
“Considering the average of the minimum fares of the cities surveyed by AAETA and assuming that a person takes a bus to go and another to return from work every day, the cost of traveling to work every day of the work week would imply an approximate budget of 39,440 pesos,” the Foundation highlighted and added: “In January 2024, the monthly cost was approximately 8,520 pesos. That is, an increase of 363 percent is recorded in relation to December 2024. Well above the inflation of the period of approximately 118 percent.”
The final numbers of the study show that 986 pesos was the average price of a ticket in the 58 cities surveyed and 1,972 pesos is the daily budget required for a workday. Therefore, at least almost 10,000 pesos per week would be needed to cover the weekly expenses of the bus trip.
How much did the representation of expenditure vary, according to income, in the use of urban public transport? The Foundation analysts concluded: “At the beginning of the year, the estimated expenditure on travel expenses represented 5.5 percent of the Minimum Living and Mobile Wage (SMVM) and 1.5 percent of the average salary of registered workers (RIPTE) . However, by December, these values increased significantly, reaching 14.1 percent of the SMVM and 3.3 percent of the RIPTE.”
In CABA, after the transfer of the 31 bus lines from the Nation to the city, the Buenos Aires district assumed its administration and control of fares. In this sense, the government of the City of Buenos Aires announced that the ticket will increase by 10 percent starting in March. The measure was communicated through the Official Gazette and will be discussed on February 6, 7 and 10 in public hearings. With the new adjustment, the collective minimum for those who have a registered SUB card will go from $371 to $408, while beneficiaries of the Social Rate, such as retirees and pensioners registered with ANSES, the ticket will continue to receive a 55 percent discount.
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