The Government approved this Wednesday an update on costs and subsidies for bus companies operating in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA). The measure, aimed at passenger transport, was implemented through Resolution 16/2026 in the Official Gazette and guarantees the funds to cover the salary increases recently agreed upon by the Union of Tramway and Motor Transport Workers (UTA). In the regulation, analyzed by the Argentine News Agency, the Secretariat of Transport updated the calculation of the Average Costs and Revenues of the Urban and Suburban Passenger Transport Services of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Region. The update corresponds to the periods of February, March, and April 2026, with the latter applicable for subsequent monthly periods “until a new cost calculation is approved”. The main trigger for the activity's cost adjustment, which will serve as the basis for calculating the subsidies, was the collective agreement reached between the Union of Tramway and Motor Transport Workers (UTA) and business chambers at the end of January. In this way, the adjustment in the tariff compensations that the State grants to the companies will serve to guarantee the necessary funds to face the increases in the basic salary, per diems, and extraordinary bonuses agreed until April of this year. In addition to the salary factor, the new cost calculation also contemplates the comprehensive update of all variables affecting passenger motor transport. Fuels and fees: the price of diesel and the values of taxes on liquid fuels and carbon dioxide were updated. Maintenance and replacement: there was an adjustment in the prices of basic supplies and in the value of the vehicle fleet (chassis and bodies). Insurance: the recognized value of civil liability policies per unit was increased. At the same time, the resolution incorporated a specific weighting for units powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electrical energy, following a survey carried out by the National Transport Regulation Commission (CNRT). In the analysis to determine the cost adjustment, operational variables were also taken into account, which include the update of kilometers traveled by fare group, review of commercial speed and the night factor, along with the crossing of data with the actual collection reported by the SUBE system. The official text determined that the new tariff compensations “will be covered with own resources of the National State, according to the geographical scope in which the public transport services are provided”. It also specified that the funds to face the update will come from the Integrated Motor Transport System (SISTAU), from taxes on liquid fuels and carbon dioxide and with resources from the General Budget that are transferred to the Trust of the Nation Bank.
