90 Days Later, Still No Electronic Transit Card
This is a photo of Argentine President Cristina Fernández taken three months ago on February 4.
It’s a photo of the president signing a decree to create a new “electronic” card system that would allow people to prepay for bus, subway and train trips in and around the City of Buenos Aires. One goal of the new card system, in addition to making travel more convenient, was to eliminate the inconvenience of the current coin-based system, which, infamously, has left the city virtually without coins.
In a nationally-televised speech on the plan, which was anticipated by TAP four days before it was delivered, Fernández pledged to have the new card system up and running within 90 days. That was then, this is now, almost exactly 90 days later.
But little progress has been made on the new system. Indeed, when I asked a Transportation Secretariat spokesman about the issue on Monday, he said simply, “We have nothing to say about that.”
It sounded like a great plan. It could be, if it ever came to fruition.
UPDATE: Various Transportation Secretariat and Planning Ministry officials now say the system will up be and running in late June – just in time for the June 28 congressional election.
Popularity: 1% [?]
> “We have nothing to say about that.”
Bhah! I want my card to work on the buses too. It’s such a simple and obvious solution. It shouldn’t be this difficult to implement, but I guess I’ll just have to be patient.
Is anyone really surprised that the government defaulted on their pledge? In fact, I would consider this a “government by default” since Menem withdrew from the second round of elections.