The Veracruz government published in the State Official Gazette the agreement regulating the operation of the Trust for the Modernization of the Public Passenger Transportation System, an instrument that will finance, manage, and operate actions to modernize public transportation in the state.
On January 30, Governor Rocío Nahle announced that the state would assume control of the Ulúa buses, a public transportation service operating in the Veracruz-Boca del Río metropolitan area, after the concession holders returned the vehicles.
The Veracruz government purchased Chinese-made Yutong buses to modernize the state’s vehicle fleet, investing approximately one billion pesos. The buses had been delivered to the concession holders, but after the state refused to update public transportation fares, leading to a one-day service stoppage, they were returned.
On Monday, February 9, an amendment to the original decree of April 9, 2025, was published, by which the State assumes full control and operation of the vehicles it purchased in China.
According to the document, the trust’s main objective will be to channel resources for the modernization of vehicles, infrastructure, technological systems, and operating schemes, without replacing the authorities responsible for regulating fares, routes, and concessions. The mechanism will operate as a financial and administrative tool to support the sector.
Among its powers is the ability to grant financing to concessionaires, permit holders, public agencies, and individuals or legal entities, as well as to acquire, lease, manage, or make available buses, depots, terminals, workshops, fare collection systems, and control technologies, always under the supervision of the Technical Committee.
The agreement establishes that public transportation services may be provided under three models: exclusively by the public sector, through concessionaires or permit holders, or through mixed public-private partnership models, without this implying the automatic transfer or modification of concession titles.
It also specifies that the trust may implement centralized fare collection, operational control, and oversight systems, manage financial flows, and provide specialized technical advice to improve the operational and administrative efficiency of public transportation. However, it clarifies that the determination of fares, routes, and frequencies will remain the exclusive prerogative of the competent authority.
The trust will be administered by a Technical Committee, comprised of representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Planning (Sefiplan), the Ministry of Public Security (SSP), and the Ministry of the Interior (Segob), among other members, as well as a Technical Secretariat with voice but no vote.
The document emphasizes that the powers of the trust do not create labor relations, do not replace the Executive Branch or modify existing concessions, and must be exercised with criteria of transparency, efficiency, traceability and accountability, with the objective of strengthening and modernizing the public transportation system in Veracruz.
Source: lasillarota
