Lula Pledges Free Weekend Transit Across Brazil Days Before Runoff

BRASILIA. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday, Oct 15, that he will send Congress a constitutional amendment guaranteeing free public transport on weekends in every Brazilian city that runs a transit system. Reuters reported that the program would be paid for through congressional budget earmarks, the pot of public money lawmakers direct to projects. Lula announced the plan in a video posted on social media. He did not say when exactly he will send the proposal. His party and the EFE news agency said the free fares would also cover public holidays, and EFE said the plan is meant to start in 2027 if he wins the election.

The announcement came one day after the Senate approved the end of the six-day work schedule known as 6x1, cutting the maximum workweek from 44 hours to 40 with no pay cut. Lula tied the two moves together. With two days of rest secured, he argued, workers should be able to spend those days with their families, visiting people and enjoying their cities without the fare standing in the way. Some cities already run free buses on Sundays, among them Brasilia and Sao Paulo, EFE reported.

A race he is narrowly losing

Lula, who is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term, trails Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. In the first round on Oct 5, Flavio Bolsonaro won 47 percent of the vote against 45 percent for Lula. A Datafolha poll published on Thursday put Bolsonaro at 47 percent and Lula at 45 percent, a narrower gap than the 49 to 45 reading in the same poll a week earlier. The runoff is on Oct 25.

The transit pledge is the latest in a run of household measures from the Lula government as record debt and rising debt payments squeeze family budgets. In recent days he has announced debt forgiveness for small entrepreneurs, with grants of 5,000 reais for the same group. Last week his government expanded fuel subsidies. Less than a month ago it raised Bolsa Familia benefits by 15 percent. His government has also said it will hold an auction to buy and restructure household debt, and it has banned online betting operators.

Cost questions follow the promises

Reuters reported that the measures have raised fiscal concerns. No offsetting cuts have been announced, and economists warn that a growing package of pre-election spending could worry investors, lift borrowing costs and add pressure to Brazil's debt path. EFE reported that media estimates put the annual cost of Lula's recent social measures between 180 billion and 250 billion reais, and that Flavio Bolsonaro has accused the president of trying to buy votes with public money.

A constitutional amendment is a heavy lift in Brazil's Congress. It needs three-fifths support in two rounds of voting in each chamber. Lula's plan would use lawmakers' own earmark money to pay for the free fares, a design meant to give deputies and senators a reason to back it. Whether Congress takes the proposal up before the runoff, and what a nationwide weekend fare holiday would cost city transit systems, are questions the government has not yet answered with figures.