The daily commute between the simple house on the outskirts and the luxurious apartments they clean in the city center consumes not only hours of routine, but also a significant part of the budget of many mothers.
The brakes squeal at the stop, the door opens with a tedious, mechanical sigh, and Maria, with her R$ 1,781 a month (IBGE, 2023), gets out, adjusting the heavy bag on her shoulder and holding tight to Pedrinho’s hand, her six year old son. Another day of work as a day laborer at , another race against time to get back to her home before night falls, pick up Pedrinho from the neighbor’s house and pick up little João from the improvised daycare center, where other solo mothers, abandoned by their partners , equally exhausted, leave their children in the care of those who can, for R$300 a month.
The daily commute between the simple house on the outskirts and the luxurious apartments he cleans in the city center takes up not only hours of his routine, but also a significant part of his budget. Buying two tickets — one for the bus and one for the bus — weighs even more on a tight budget, where every penny is counted. But there’s no way around it: it costs R$18 a day to be able to work. “The mayor doesn’t know that, to work downtown, I have to pay integration. Every month, R$432 to top up the ticket. For rent, another R$700. A signed work permit is not for everyone. It’s a luxury I don’t have. Every time it increases, there is less food and no money for expenses. How am I going to pay for the house stuff? You have to wash the children’s clothes, have water, electricity and gas cylinders. My God, I can’t even work day and night,” laments Maria. More sleepless nights, Maria isn’t sure how she’s going to pay the monthly bills. “Only if I move further away and rent a room without a bathroom. Then, who knows…”
Meanwhile, in the same city, Lucas, the same age as Pedrinho, goes to his bilingual school oblivious to the reality that surrounds him. Son of a lawyer and a councilor mother, the increase in bus fares is just a number, an irrelevant detail given the safety and comfort of present life and the hope of a certain future, full of cultural, social and leisure agendas. For Maria, every extra dollar is another worry, making the fight for the basics — food, medicine and clothes — even more difficult. “What future will my children have if I can’t even guarantee the present? People think I don’t try, that I don’t work. Cleaning and doing odd jobs are not enough to raise my children. I just want them to grow up well.”
Maria is the reflection of millions of solo mothers in Brazil. Among them, 32% of those with young children are out of the workforce, and another 10% face unemployment (FGV, 2022). In the outskirts, poverty and extreme poverty are recurring realities: women struggle daily to guarantee the basics, while children like Pedrinho and João grow up without access to quality education, adequate food or social security. This situation perpetuates structural inequality that negatively shapes the future of these families and feeds the cycle of social exclusion.
What future awaits Pedro and João in the conditions in which they currently live? What nation are we shaping by prioritizing tariff increases over investments in inclusive social policies? Policies that could give these mothers and children the chance to break the cycle of poverty, guaranteeing full citizenship and enabling Brazil to build a more promising present towards a prosperous future. Remembering: Brazil is made of people, by people and for people.
Experiences with free public transport have demonstrated that it is possible to significantly alleviate the burden on low-income families, like Maria’s, by transforming access to mobility into a universal and free right. In Maricá (RJ), the implementation of free transport resulted in a 20% saving in the family budget of low-income people (Prefeitura de Maricá, 2024; WRI Brasil, 2024). For Maria, this would mean converting the R$ 432 she currently spends monthly on tickets into food and other essential expenses for raising Pedrinho and João, or even into books and materials that expand the possibilities of learning and success at school, or, whoever you know, in qualified recreation and leisure opportunities that would otherwise remain inaccessible. Zero tariffs, in addition to guaranteeing mobility as a right, deliver something that cannot be measured in numbers, but which transforms lives: the possibility of a dignified present and hope for a future.
The zero fare policy, as seen in cities such as Caucaia (CE) and Guararema (SP), goes beyond a practical solution for transport. It acts as a vector of social inclusion. In Caucaia, where free transport was implemented in 2021, the location recorded a 25% increase in revenue, while demand for transport grew 371% in two years (NTU, 2024; WRI Brasil, 2024). The social fabric, which represents the network of connections and solidarity between individuals, groups and communities, is strengthened when more people, regardless of their class or location, have access to mobility, services and opportunities. For Maria and her children, this means more than saving on transportation; it means actively participating in community life, attending school and cultural events, accessing health services and establishing links with other social groups, including those previously segregated by economic barriers. With zero tariffs, Maria can seek better job opportunities, while Pedrinho and João connect to a more diverse and inclusive environment, reducing social segregation and promoting a collective sense of belonging that benefits the entire society.
In addition to everything previously described, research shows that free transport policies can create new jobs by stimulating local commerce and increasing workforce mobility, all without compromising the environment (Margarita et al., 2024 in Free Public Transport: More Jobs without Environmental Damage?).
The environmental impact is also significant. In , the integration of electric buses into the free public transport system resulted in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to an improvement in the quality of urban life (Prefeitura de Curitiba, 2024). In Campinas, the implementation of zero fares on public transport alleviated traffic congestion by encouraging private car drivers to migrate to public transport. This combined approach reduces pollutant emissions and the consumption of fossil fuels, promoting more sustainable mobility (Margarita et al., 2024).
The political discourse, frequently repeated by governors, deputies, mayors, councilors and outsourced companies, claims that the free public transport model is unfeasible due to the high costs associated with its implementation. However, despite the evident benefits, such as social inclusion, economic stimulus and reduction of emissions, the financial sustainability of the model continues to be the subject of debate. In São Paulo, for example, studies indicate that universalizing zero tariffs could consume up to 20% of the municipal budget, highlighting the magnitude of the financial challenge (CNT, 2024).
Alternative financing models, such as Mobility Payment French, can offer solutions adaptable to the Brazilian reality. This policy establishes the taxation of companies with more than 11 employees, redirecting the resources collected to subsidize public transport (French Government2024), demonstrating how urban mobility can be planned in a sustainable way, creating a system less dependent on direct transfers from the public budget.
It must be remembered that the viability of policies such as zero tariffs requires more than just innovative financing sources; demands integrated planning of the urban mobility system as a whole. It is necessary for planning to include not only public transport (buses, rails, boats and others), but also its interaction with other modes, such as cycle paths, accessible sidewalks and active transport systems. Without this vision of the whole involved in urban mobility planning, the operational efficiency, service quality and environmental sustainability of the model can be compromised, perpetuating challenges that could be avoided with more comprehensive and proactive planning.
Beyond speech, implementing free transport requires more than financial resources. Citizen mobility planning is essential to avoid problems such as overcrowding and deterioration of service and all other problems faced by Marias, Pedrinhos and Joãos. In Palmas (TO), the abrupt implementation of the FPT resulted in crowded buses and user dissatisfaction, highlighting the importance of realistic demand projections and continuous adjustments in supply (Associação Nacional das Empresas de Transportes Urbanos NTU 2024).
There is also the possibility of using very common extra-tariff revenues, such as the commercial exploitation of bus terminals and stops or congestion pricing, which can alleviate pressure on public coffers. Maricá exemplifies how oil royalties can be used intelligently, financing free transport and, simultaneously, boosting the local economy (Prefeitura de Maricá, 2024 / WRI Brasil 2024).
If the lessons learned in cities like Maricá and Caucaia — or in several countries around the world — were applied on a national scale, the impact on the lives of families like Maria’s would be transformative. Free public transport would allow solo mothers like her to save not just money, but time, a scarce and precious resource. Without the burden of fares, the commute to work would not only be cheaper, but less harrowing. Pedrinho could dream of a future different from the present he knows, where studying and playing would not be inappropriate thoughts for the reality he faces at the age of six.
Free public transport does not solve all the problems of inequality, which has been perpetuated for centuries through public policies that privilege few sectors and groups in civil society. However, it could be a first step towards fairer cities. Maria did not choose to live far away and in precarious conditions; This reality was imposed on him by the lack of options he faced since he was born: in the same condition he has today, unfortunately. Zero tariffs reduce the financial burden on vulnerable families, stimulate the local economy and contribute to the construction of a more sustainable urban environment.
Maria may still have to fight hard to offer her children a worthy present and a better future, but with free transportation, this fight becomes a little less unequal. However, the hope that Pedrinho and João will break the cycle of poverty will depend not only on their resilience, but also on the collaboration of other sectors of society and the political will of public agents, who need to prioritize inclusive and sustainable policies to transform the reality of millions of Brazilians.
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
