São Paulo ferries start accepting Pix and cards as private concession begins
The AcquaVias SP consortium takes over 14 coastal and inland ferry crossings in the state on Monday (9th), with R$2.5 billion in planned investment over 20 years.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
Ferry crossings in the state of São Paulo will start accepting Pix, Brazil's instant payment system, and debit and credit cards next Monday (9th), when the AcquaVias SP consortium takes over the service concession, Folha reported. Currently, fares can only be paid in cash or through automatic toll tags.
The concession covers 14 crossings, currently run by the state Department of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics (Semil), in the Baixada Santista area, on the north and south coasts, in the São Paulo metropolitan region and in the Paraíba Valley. The system carries about 11 million passengers and 10 million vehicles a year.
Winner of the public-private partnership auction held last year, the consortium plans to invest R$2.5 billion over the 20-year contract. The state will pay an annual consideration of R$402.93 million.
According to state secretary Natália Resende, the concessionaire's compensation is tied to indicators and targets, such as shorter lines and better service, rather than to fares. She said it is the state's payment that sustains the concession.
The official announcement of the start of operations is scheduled for this Friday morning (6th) at the Coastal Crossings shipyard in Guarujá. Over the next three months there will be an assisted operation phase, overseen by Semil, before the concessionaire takes full control.