In the country there are around 18 thousand units legally constituted and registered for extra-urban passenger transport, of which in regular seasons an average of 13 thousand operate daily, indicates Carlos Vides, president of the Guild of Extra-urban Passenger Transport (Gretexpa).
However, for the Holy Week season, between 15,000 and 16,000 circulate, he adds. Which represents a 23% increase in units in operation.
Those registered annually, nationwide, transport almost 20 million people, and among the times of highest demand are some weekends of Lent and Holy Week.
Regarding regions, where there are the most units is towards the South Coast, estimating that there are between 6 thousand to 7 thousand units.
They are followed in number by the West; the northern area with Petén and Puerto Barrios, South West and Las Verapaces.
Regularly every year, in January, there is a drop in demand for passenger transportation but then it begins to rise during Lent until reaching the highest season during Holy Week, he indicated.
Vides comments that starting on Pain Friday, many people begin to move to the interior of the country and that demand grows again on Holy Wednesday. According to the experience they have had, on Holy Thursday the demand decreases 50% compared to previous days, on Good Friday it is almost zero. It begins to rise again with the return of travelers on Holy Saturday and mainly on Easter Sunday, he added.
Warnings, requests and recommendations
The manager warns that there are also between 2,500 and 3,000 pirate units nationwide, including minibuses and buses, and that about a thousand units of these operate on the South Coast alone.
As Gremial, Vides says, they convey several recommendations to users and requests to the authorities, as well as the providers of this service call for the units to be kept in good condition.
In the case of passengers, it is recommended that they check at the entrance of each unit, since they must have a notice that the bus is insured and that they do not use transportation that has insurance.
He states that they have reported to the General Directorate of Transport (DGT) the problem of lack of insurance in some units, but indicates that “we do not find an echo, since there are many pirate transport buses and minibuses that do not have passenger insurance, and “At the time of an accident, the passenger would be unprotected.”
Insurance has been mandatory since 2002 for each unit of extra-urban transportation of people, based on Government Agreement 265-2001 and reformed by Government Agreement 392-2001, which contains the regulations for contracting insurance.
The amount of compensation is calculated based on the current minimum agricultural wage: for the death of the passenger, it is 50 salaries; for injuries varies from 1 to 50 depending on the type of injury, and for period of disability from 1 to 6.
In addition, it states that third-party insurance is not mandatory, but recommended. In this case, it indicates that the Pulman type buses regularly have it, but the grills do not, although since it is not mandatory it is at the discretion of each owner.
Separately, the Gretexpa manager commented that they called on the Traffic Department of the National Civil Police (PNC) to provide more security support on the roads and inspections during the season, including on the Palín-Escuintla highway section. which was freed from tolls last year. There needs to be police, firefighters and inspectors, he added.
To those who provide the service, he recommends that they have passenger insurance, that they keep the units in good condition, in addition to maintaining the current prices because there would be no reason to raise them.
Therefore, they also call on the population to report to the General Directorate of Transportation and to companies if there are increases in the price of tickets.
They tried to get the DGT’s position, but they did not respond to calls and messages requesting information. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the PNC Transit Directorate, Brenda Santizo, indicated that they are preparing the operational plan and are working with the nine delegations and support from PNC police stations, and that a press conference is planned to be held in March.
Affluence
- During Holy Week in 2023, Inguat estimated that 3 million 106 thousand 180 people traveled to different tourist destinations, which represented 15% more than in the same season of 2022.
- The transfer is made by different means, both extra-urban public transport, private vehicles or by air.
- Of the total, 2 million 971 thousand 889 correspond to national tourists and 134 thousand 291 international.
- The 2023 figures represented 90% of what was recorded in 2019, the last year before the pandemic, when 3 million 455 thousand travelers (domestic and foreign) were reported.
Among the most visited destinations during Holy Week 2023, according to Inguat, are:
- Antigua Guatemala, 52%,
- Retalhuleu, 13%,
- Quetzaltenango, 10%,
- Pacific beaches 7%,
- Izabal 6%,
- Atitlán 5%,
- Las Verapaces, Esquipulas and Petén, 2% each.
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