Brazilian Cities Raise Public-Transport Fares as 2026 Begins

Overview

• Salvador lifted its bus fare to R$ 5.90, kept the metro at R$ 4.10, and signed a R$ 264 million BNDES deal to buy 300 buses as the city targets major fleet renewal with more air-conditioned vehicles.
• Rio de Janeiro set municipal transport fares at R$ 5.00 and fixed operator remuneration at R$ 6.60 per trip, with the R$ 1.60 gap covered by a city subsidy under the IRK-based concession framework.
• São Paulo city raised the bus fare to R$ 5.30 from January 6, with City Hall pointing to record 2025 subsidies of more than R$ 6 billion and rising contract costs identified in a recent review.
• State regulator Artesp and EMTU authorized updated metropolitan and intermunicipal tariffs in São Paulo state effective January 6, including an average 4.65% increase in the Vale do Paraíba and revised tables for the Sorocaba region.
• Sorocaba held an official hearing marked by protests over a 20.45% fare hike and the return of a paid student pass on January 30, as local authorities argued the measures are needed to cover system costs.