The public transit system in large Brazilian cities was already in crisis long before the coronavirus pandemic. Transit operators have seen passenger demand steadily decline over recent decades, driven by a combination of factors: urban policies that incentivize private vehicle use; urban sprawl, which dilutes economies of scale when serving peripheral areas; rising congestion; transit routes increasingly disconnected from actual urban mobility patterns; a growing need for transfers along passenger routes; deteriorating fleets and service quality; rising incomes leading to alternative choices like private cars, motorcycles, and ride-hailing services; and, above all, steadily rising fares.
The coronavirus pandemic significantly exacerbated this trend, causing an abrupt drop in public transit demand. In a statement published in April 2020, the National Association of Urban Transport Companies (NTU) reported that "The average reduction identified was around 80% in the number of passengers carried. It is estimated that across the country, 32 million fewer passengers are transported daily." Beyond purely sanitary measures, such as requiring masks and operating with open windows, various operational changes were implemented. These ranged from capping the number of passengers per vehicle—which further compromised operational viability—to temporarily suspending free fares, reducing route offerings, and cutting bus frequencies in an attempt to curb operating costs during the pandemic.
