Government Extends Authorization for 559 Model‑2012 Interurban Buses to Year End

Overview

• The decree 654/2026, signed by President Javier Milei and ministers Luis Caputo and Diego Santilli, was published in the Boletín Oficial and lets 559 national‑jurisdiction interurban buses built in 2012 keep operating until December 31, 2026.
• The extension applies only to units that were registered and authorized in the National Registry of Passenger Motor Transport as of January 1, 2026.
• Regulators from the CNRT and the National Commission of Traffic and Road Safety judged a one‑year prorogation technically viable and required a stricter control regime with mandatory Revisión Técnica Obligatoria inspections every three months.
• The decree frames fitness to operate on the vehicle’s effective state of conservation rather than its chronological age and cites compatibility with the International Land Transport Agreement (ATIT) as part of its legal rationale.
• The move responds to requests from deputies on the Chamber of Deputies’ Transport Commission who are promoting a bill to change the permanent age cap and could pressure operators to decide between extra maintenance costs or fleet renewal next year.