São Paulo is introducing a multi-billion-real transit shift to its historic core, authorizing a trackless electric transit system backed by a R$ 2.8 billion investment.
Ricardo Nunes signed the authorization for the Bonde São Paulo project on Friday, bringing a modern mobility concept to streets previously reliant on conventional buses and private automobiles.
The city’s debut Veículo Leve Elétrico (VLE) project will span 17.4 kilometers and incorporate 37 stations across two distinct routes, according to Prefeitura de São Paulo. City officials project the network will handle over 120.000 daily passengers while removing roughly 11.000 vehicles from central roadways.
The Município also highlights that roughly 300.000 internal trips occur within the region, most of them on foot, and states that the transit network will improve access to the rail and subway system.
Traveling Without Steel Tracks
Despite its classic moniker, the new system abandons traditional steel rails in favor of rubber-tired electric articulated vehicles. Exame reported that the network relies on Digital Rail Transit (DRT) technology, utilizing magnetic virtual tracks and optical sensors to guide the vehicles smoothly over asphalt.
The route will also run through public spaces and gathering areas, including the Vale do Anhangabaú, Parque da Luz, Largo do Paissandu, Largo do Arouche, Praça da Sé, and Parque Dom Pedro II.
Claudio Barbieri, a professor of Engineering at the University of São Paulo, explained to UOL Notícias that this configuration avoids costly roadway excavation.
“The advantage is not needing any intervention or maintenance on the road to install the ‘rail’, lowering the cost. It is a newer and more sophisticated system, with optical sensors that read markers on the asphalt,” Barbieri told UOL Notícias.
The network splits into two primary paths named after native Brazilian flora. The red-coded Linha 1-Sibipiruna covers 6.3 kilometers with 14 stations linking Santa Efigênia, Luz, Campos Elíseos, and Bom Retiro. The blue-coded Linha 2-Jequitibá features 23 stations split across a 6.2-kilometer counterclockwise loop and a 4.9-kilometer clockwise loop, connecting the historic center to Parque Dom Pedro II, the Municipal Market, and Rua 25 de Março, as outlined by Seu Dinheiro.
The Bonde São Paulo will connect nearby regions separated by physical barriers like train tracks or rivers that hinder mobility—such as Bom Retiro, the Cerealista Zone, Liberdade, and areas around Praça da República—with the Sibipiruna (red) and Jequitibá (blue) lines, while also linking key downtown spots including the Municipal Market, Rua 25 de Março, Theatro Municipal, and Sala São Paulo alongside the Biblioteca Mário de Andrade.
Sibipiruna and Jequitibá Lines Complete by March 2029
Transport Secretary Celso Caldeira detailed the schedule for rolling out the infrastructure.
“Phase 1, which is the first ring of the Sibipiruna Line, will be ready in December 2027,” Caldeira told Prefeitura de São Paulo, noting that Phase 2 follows in June 2028.
Subsequent stages will bring the Jequitibá Line online by December 2028, with the final inner ring scheduled for completion in March 2029. The project integrates directly with five bus terminals, eight metro stations, two CPTM commuter rail stations, the Radial Leste BRT, and the planned Metro Line Celeste.
City hall maintains that the initiative fills a vital gap by tying together fragmented tourist hubs and boosting economic revitalization.
“With this, travel time is reduced, which is precisely what the population wants,” explained Harald Zwetkoff, chief executive officer of Ambiental Transportes Urbanos.
“We have a large volume of tourists in our central region, and a large part is foreign. The route of the bonde was designed to strengthen commerce and create a possibility not only for locomotion because of work, but also to use the VLE as a city tourism instrument. I have no doubt that many people will come to São Paulo to ride the bonde,” said Ricardo Nunes.
