Why traveling on public transport in Buenos Aires has become hell

[MilHojas]

https://buenosairesherald.com/politics/why-traveling-on-public-transport-in-buenos-aires-has-become-hell

Trying to move around the Argentine capital is becoming increasingly difficult, with long queues and never-ending waiting times

 

[Ries]

seems like they are conflating two very different, but related things-
Milei has cut the budgets and support for public transportation.
nowhere on earth does public transportation make a profit- it always requires subsidies, as it is a government service.
so cutting support inevitably results in worse service.

and then, we have a short term slowdown protest by the colectivo companies.

I take public transport all the time, since 2010 or so.
I have not noticed, aside from the paro, a decline in service for colectivos or subte.
In both cases, its a lot better than it was ten years ago.
constant new buses, more airconditioning, no noticeable drop in cleanliness or frequency on the main 50 or so lines inside CABA.
I havent taken any colectivos outside of the city for ten years or so, so I cant comment on that.
The Subway, as well, has had technology improvements, and the times I have taken it this year, it was clean, frequent, and not in decline.

anyone who thinks Argentines are rude on public transportation hasnt traveled in the US lately, where drunkeness, drug usage, loud screaming of obscenities, public urination and defacation on the bus and in the trains, as well as physical assaults on drivers and violent crime against passengers, is far from uncommon.
Of course it depends on the city- NYC is actually pretty safe and clean, with crime down to its lowest in 15 years or so.
But in a place like Seattle, they had five physical assaults on drivers last year.
this kind of thing is extremely rare in BA.
In all my years of riding colectivos and subtes, I really only remember one very inebriated rider, and he actually burst out singing tango songs, and ended up getting an ovation from the passengers.

 

[SlowWalker]

seems like they are conflating two very different, but related things-
Milei has cut the budgets and support for public transportation.
nowhere on earth does public transportation make a profit- it always requires subsidies, as it is a government service.
so cutting support inevitably results in worse service.

and then, we have a short term slowdown protest by the colectivo companies.

I take public transport all the time, since 2010 or so.
I have not noticed, aside from the paro, a decline in service for colectivos or subte.
In both cases, its a lot better than it was ten years ago.
constant new buses, more airconditioning, no noticeable drop in cleanliness or frequency on the main 50 or so lines inside CABA.
I havent taken any colectivos outside of the city for ten years or so, so I cant comment on that.
The Subway, as well, has had technology improvements, and the times I have taken it this year, it was clean, frequent, and not in decline.

anyone who thinks Argentines are rude on public transportation hasnt traveled in the US lately, where drunkeness, drug usage, loud screaming of obscenities, public urination and defacation on the bus and in the trains, as well as physical assaults on drivers and violent crime against passengers, is far from uncommon.
Of course it depends on the city- NYC is actually pretty safe and clean, with crime down to its lowest in 15 years or so.
But in a place like Seattle, they had five physical assaults on drivers last year.
this kind of thing is extremely rare in BA.
In all my years of riding colectivos and subtes, I really only remember one very inebriated rider, and he actually burst out singing tango songs, and ended up getting an ovation from the passengers.

I used buses where I am, and when in BA I have used buses and the metro and am personally amazed at the quality of the available public transportation.

 

[SofiaMyr]

seems like they are conflating two very different, but related things-
Milei has cut the budgets and support for public transportation.
nowhere on earth does public transportation make a profit- it always requires subsidies, as it is a government service.
so cutting support inevitably results in worse service.

and then, we have a short term slowdown protest by the colectivo companies.

I take public transport all the time, since 2010 or so.
I have not noticed, aside from the paro, a decline in service for colectivos or subte.
In both cases, its a lot better than it was ten years ago.
constant new buses, more airconditioning, no noticeable drop in cleanliness or frequency on the main 50 or so lines inside CABA.
I havent taken any colectivos outside of the city for ten years or so, so I cant comment on that.
The Subway, as well, has had technology improvements, and the times I have taken it this year, it was clean, frequent, and not in decline.

anyone who thinks Argentines are rude on public transportation hasnt traveled in the US lately, where drunkeness, drug usage, loud screaming of obscenities, public urination and defacation on the bus and in the trains, as well as physical assaults on drivers and violent crime against passengers, is far from uncommon.
Of course it depends on the city- NYC is actually pretty safe and clean, with crime down to its lowest in 15 years or so.
But in a place like Seattle, they had five physical assaults on drivers last year.
this kind of thing is extremely rare in BA.
In all my years of riding colectivos and subtes, I really only remember one very inebriated rider, and he actually burst out singing tango songs, and ended up getting an ovation from the passengers.

I agree. Even though it's not been that long since I've been living here, I think the public transport is decent in terms of frequency. Of course, it's not the best but then it does get you to your destination reliably.