Governor Cláudio Castro (PL) sanctioned a law on Friday (09/05) creating the “Safe Bus” program, aimed at enhancing security on public transportation across the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro. The decision follows a surge in violence affecting public transit. The measure allows for the hiring of military police, civil police, criminal police officers, and municipal guards on their days off through the Additional Service Regime (RAS) to patrol buses, bus stops, and terminals.
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Partnership
The initiative, published in the state’s Official Gazette, will be implemented through agreements between the Rio de Janeiro state government, municipal governments in the metropolitan region, and the Federation of Passenger Transport Companies of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Fetranspor). The proposal, authored by State Deputy Luiz Paulo (PSD), was approved by the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj).
Agents’ Deployment
According to the state government, the deployment of security agents will be guided by intelligence reports and crime data compiled by public security agencies to target areas with higher violence rates effectively.
Recent Incident
On Wednesday (07/05), around 30 passengers were robbed on a bus traveling from Nova Iguaçu, in Baixada Fluminense, to downtown Rio. The crime was captured on video by one of the victims. The two suspects were arrested, and police recovered nine stolen cell phones.
2025 Data
According to the Public Security Institute (ISP), in the first quarter of 2025, Rio de Janeiro recorded 1,052 bus robberies — a nearly 30% increase compared to the same period last year. In 2024, there were 4,449 such incidents. According to Rio Ônibus, the union representing transport companies, bus hijackings by criminal groups have become a growing concern. So far this year, at least 50 buses have been hijacked and used in barricades.
Impact on Drivers
The rising violence is also affecting bus drivers. Between 2022 and 2024, approximately 250 drivers left their jobs due to crime-related incidents and assaults, according to the Rio de Janeiro Bus Drivers’ Union. In 2024, over 140 professionals were dismissed. Currently, 230 drivers are on medical leave due to psychological trauma linked to fear. In the interior and Lagos Region, some 500 drivers are under permanent psychological monitoring for trauma caused by urban violence, according to the Bus Drivers’ Union of Niterói to Arraial do Cabo (Sintronac). The union reports that 80% of resignations from April 2023 to November 2024 were triggered by violent events.
Analysis:
The implementation of the Safe Bus program is a necessary but overdue response to the growing insecurity affecting public transport users in Rio de Janeiro. The 30% increase in bus robberies in early 2025 reflects a pattern of deteriorating urban mobility conditions, particularly in the metropolitan region, where criminal factions have increasingly targeted and hijacked buses. The use of these vehicles as barricades not only endangers passengers and drivers but also demonstrates the territorial control that organized crime continues to exert over key transit corridors. The decision to deploy off-duty police officers and municipal guards offers a short-term solution to increase visible enforcement.
Sources: A Folha de SP.
