Subway ticket prices more than doubled today to 2.50 pesos (58 US cents) from 1.10 previously.

The increase comes just days after the federal government turned over management of the subway system to the City of Buenos Aires.

The day-to-day administration of the subway is carried out by Metrovias, a private sector company which has had a concession to run the subway since 1994.

Prices had been frozen for years while the cost of just about everything else in Argentina has soared amid rampant inflation that economists say surpasses 20% annually.

The federal government had kept prices artificially low by dolling out millions of dollars in subsidies every year. But now that the subway is in the city’s hands, the federal government will stop paying for those subsidies entirely in 2013.

This year the federal government and the city will split the cost of paying for the subsidies, which total about $167 million annually.

The subway carries around 300 million passengers every year, according to Metrovias. That’s double what it carried when the company started its concession.

Metrovias has some 3,000 employees, unionized workers whose demands for higher salaries and better working conditions will undoubtedly put political pressure on the city government in the years ahead.

My colleagues, Matt Moffett, Ken Parks and I did a feature for the Wall Street Journal on the topic and the broader issues of utility rates and subsidies, which you can read here.

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While cleaning up an old hard drive today, I found some old slang video footage.

So I took a few minutes and edited it into another “Scooping Argentina” lunfardo lesson.

“Hinchapelotas” is a rather crass, negative expression. But it’s also one that’s used fairly frequently on the streets of Buenos Aires.

So it’s worth knowing, even if you don’t use it yourself. It’s not something you’d want to say in a formal setting or with people you don’t know well.

A rough translation would be something like “pain-in-the-ass.” More literally, it would be akin to “ball-breaker.”

If you’re lucky, you’ll never hear anyone apply the expression to you!

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Argentina’s Congress on Wednesday moved the country to the forefront of the global fight against cancer by passing a nationwide ban on smoking in indoor public places.

In a rare display of national unity, members of the Lower House of Congress voted almost unanimously to approve the ban, which received the support of virtually all political parties.

Health officials estimate that cigarette-related cancer kills around 40,000 Argentines annually.

Pro party Deputy Paula Bertol, one of the law’s most vocal proponents, said the law’s goal is to reduce smoking and prevent people from taking up the hideous habit in the first place.

The law bans smoking in indoor work spaces, schools, hospitals, museums, clubs and public transportation systems. It also places strict limits on the sale, advertising and promotion of cigarettes in these and other places while forcing tobacco companies to put warning labels on cigarette packages.

The law does allow people to continue smoking on their own private balconies and patios, etc.

“Today is a day to celebrate,” Bertol said in a statement. “After more than 20 years of working on this matter, Congress has finally passed the law that will save lives. Tobaco kills and our objective is to protect those who freely choose not to smoke.”

Bertol said that more than half of the people who smoke will end up dying from a disease related to their consumption of cigarettes. On average, she said, smokers live at least 10 years less than non-smokers.

Argentina has come a long way in recent years. The City of Buenos Aires first banned smoking in 2006. That’s a far cry from the mid 1990s when some Argentines still smoked openly in movie theaters.

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Torcuarto Di Tella University’s latest crime “victimization rate” survey indicates that overall criminal activity in Argentina was unchanged in April from the same month a year ago.

The victimization rate refers to the percentage of households which reported that at least one person in that home has been the victim of crime within the past year. This could be any kind of crime, reported or not to the police.

According to the latest survey, which was published Tuesday and polled 1,206 households, 33.2% of the homes said at least one member of the household had been the victim of crime.

That rate is unchanged from a year earlier but up from 29.6% the previous month.

Violent crime accounted for about 60% of the crimes experienced by household members. That is to say, for every 100 homes surveyed, 22 reported experiencing violent crime.

This figure was up from the previous month (March), when it totaled 18. It was also up a tad from a year ago, when it was 21.

Di Tella’s study surveys households in 40 urban centers around the country. The survey was conducted from April 1-12.

The safest place to be in Argentina, according to the survey, is in scarcely populated towns of less than 10,000 people. The victimization rates in these towns is about 21%.

Cities with more than 500,000 residents appear to have the most crime per household, with a victimization rate of about 35%.

In general, the safest place in Argentina is the interior provinces while the most dangerous is Buenos Aires province.

Opinion polls have shown that crime is the top concern among Argentines, surpassing inflation and worries about the economy.

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The number of so-called “express kidnappings” reported by local media soared in the first quarter of 2011, according to a new study.

The media reported 28 of these kidnappings in the province of Buenos Aires in the first three months of the year, according to an analysis by the think tank Centro de Estudios Nueva Mayoria.

That’s up from just one in the same period last year and indicates the first three months of 2011 were the worst since 2004.

The vast bulk of Argentina’s kidnappings occur in the province of Buenos Aires.

Of course, the study reflects only express kidnappings reported by the media. It’s unclear what percentage of overall kidnappings this actually represents, though I suspect the percentage is extremely low.

I was kidnapped briefly in a taxi in 1999. The whole incident lasted only about an hour, making it an express kidnapping. I reported it to police, who didn’t seem to care at all. It never appeared in the media. Meanwhile, I know of two people who were kidnapped for much longer periods of time a few years ago. Their stories never made it into the press.

It can be very hard to get accurate crime data in Latin America, where, according to experts, only about one in 10 crimes are reported.

While this study is alarming, it should not be taken as a definitive statement on the nature of crime or kidnappings in Argentina. Because it is based on media reports, it’s very hard to know how reliable it is because the media can be a fickle beast.

A more accurate overview of crime in general is probably Di Tella University’s monthly crime survey, which I will post on Wednesday.

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One of the great joys of living in an older, pedestrian-friendly city like Buenos Aires is the unexpected discovery of hidden gems.

I chanced upon one of these Sunday night while walking my little pug, Buki, around my neighborhood just north of the city. Technically speaking, I don’t even live in Buenos Aires. I live near the border between the neighborhoods of Olivos and La Lucila.

Just as in San Telmo or parts of Recoleta, some parts of these neighborhoods are defined by beautifully cobbled, tree-lined streets. It’s a delightful area to explore by foot.

While walking with Buki I came across this older movie theater, Cine York, which was showing Woody Allen’s latest movie, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

The place looked incredibly cozy, quiet and romantic. I felt fortunate, happy to be out and about and happy to have such a lovely placed so close to my home.

The classy, inviting nature of this little theater couldn’t contrast more with the loud, plastic, cookie-cutter nature of modern shopping centers that have come to dominate the urban landscape of huge swaths of the U.S.

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Have you ever wanted something that you just couldn’t find in Argentina?

Ever been jonesing for some pancake mix or syrup or some cool item like an iPad 2, a Zoom microphone or a Canon EF 55mm lens?

The Mule Pool hopes to be your solution.

The Mule Pool is an online exchange that connects buyers with travelers (mules) so you can get what you want. You pay a mule to bring it to you. Or, say you’re traveling and want to make some extra cash. You could mule something back for somebody else. How does it work?

1) You tell The Mule Pool what you want.
2) Mules review open requests and determine how they can help.
3) You (the buyer) put your money into an escrow account. The Mule Pool guards the money until it’s sure your product was delivered.
4) You arrange to meet the mule.
5) Once you confirm to The Mule Pool that transaction has been carried out, the mule gets paid. (more…)

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Torcuarto Di Tella University’s latest crime “victimization rate” survey indicates that overall criminal activity fell last month.

The victimization rate refers to the percentage of households which reported that at least one person in that home has been the victim of crime within the past year.

This could be any kind of crime, reported or not to the police.

According to the latest survey, which polled 1,193 households, 28.7% of the homes said at least one member of the household had been the victim of crime. (more…)

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Aerolíneas Argentinas, the country’s perennially troubled flagship airline, has decided to give obese people a free extra seat on regional flights.

The company, which announced the policy Tuesday, has already been offering an extra seat to exceptionally fat people in some cases on flights within the country.

The airline teamed up with Inadi, the national anti-discrimination institute, to develop the policy.

“This way people will be given a more comfortable seat and they will avoid being charged differently for suffering from the disease,” the government, which owns the airline, said in a statement.

The government did not add details to clarify exactly what “the disease” is and the new policy will likely fuel debate about the causes of obesity. (more…)

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Argentine Health Minister Juan Manzur warned Friday that the mosquito transmitted illness dengue could become a serious problem for the country this summer.

“We’re facing a situation that is much graver in magnitude than it was a year ago because of the presence of dengue in countries on our border,” Manzur said at a meeting of provincial health ministers. “The dengue situation is really worrisome.”

Manzur, who said “health has no borders,” has been working in the triple frontier region in a bid to prevent the spread of mosquitos that transmit the illness to people in Argentina.

Given the presence of dengue in neighboring countries the most important thing we can do is prevent the spread of mosquitos that transmit the infection to people.

As of September 9, Brazil had about 942,000 cases of dengue, including 367 deaths, Argentina’s Health Ministry said, citing data from the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO. (more…)

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The number of people visiting Argentina soared in August.

Around 233,000 people flew into Argentina in August. That’s up almost 71% from the same month a year ago, when the global economy was mired in a deep financial crisis.

That’s good news for hotels, restaurants, milongas and tango shows that cater to tourists. It’s good news in general for the entire economy.

While here, tourists spent around $287 million, up almost 82% from a year ago, the national statistics agency, INDEC, reported Friday.

The average tourist spent almost $103 day, up 36% from the previous year.

Brazilians spent the most per day ($192) while other Latin Americans spent $105. Chileans spent about $175 a day while Americans shelled out $98.

On average tourists stayed almost 12 days in Argentina. Brazilians remained here an average of almost six days while Europeans were here for almost 25.

Four out of 10 visitors to Argentina in August were Brazilian.

The number of Argentines who traveled outside the country rose 19% in August, indicating people may have more money to travel – or at least are more willing to spend it – than a year ago.

INDEC’s measurement is based on the number of non-resident visitors who arrive to the country via Ezeiza and Aeroparque airports.

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The murder rate in the City of Buenos Aires is quite low compared with many other major world cities, according to the latest data from Argentina’s Justice Ministry.

Last year 4.92 people were murdered for every 100,000 people in the city. That’s lower than a broad range of major cities (see graph above) except for Toronto, where the rate was just 2.47.

It also means it was safer to live in Buenos Aires last year than in New York City, which had its lowest murder rate on record in 2009.

This should dispel some of the exaggerated claims that Buenos Aires is one of the more dangerous cities in Latin America or in the world. Still, the number is up from 2008, when it was 4.6.

That means the murder rate rose about 7% in just one year. Moreover, while the murder rate rose in Buenos Aires, it either declined or remained stable in the other cities compared.

This should give weight to the widely published claims that the city has become more dangerous or, literally, more deadly. (more…)

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