A geopolítica do transporte de passageiros em Manaus: o papel da informalidade na constituição do transporte coletivo (1990 2010)

Abstract

The conflicts in the conventional bus transport, as in the informal, regulated and supervised by the municipal government conceptualizes the geopolitics of transport. This research aims comprehend the geopolitical characteristics of public transport in Manaus in the 1990 - 2010 period, as well as recognize the geo-history of public transport considering urban sprawl, population growth and the need for movement that influenced the rise of informal transport. Thus, we sought to evaluate the government relationship with agents using the public transport system. Were analyzed historical aspects of public transport, where is permitted the entry of informality (the bus role) as the arrangements in the regionalization of the system. The results point to the tangled webs that makes public transportation due to the constant conflicts, because the modalities seek rely the government, with the regularization of the moto-taxi that creates uncertainty for the loss of passengers and taxi drivers. The impasse and the abidance of the executive transport, the dubious quality of the services offered by this transport alternative and the growth of the illegal buses and tricycles through the streets who claim their regularization forcing the government to accept. In conclusion, the conventional transport experiences a pressure point where the transport is increasingly informal with failures of the public transport system. Still, the fare increase is justified by "investments" in the purchase of new buses, but people wonder: Where is the new buses? No noticeable improvement proclaimed by the government leaves more and more complicated the condition of the people that depends on public transportation. However, the current situation allows us to look for other solutions that integrate with alternative transportation, such as the creation of bike paths and the use of river transport. Thus, with the same problems faced earlier, the public transport of Manaus assumes the responsibility to prepare itself for the World Cup Soccer in 2014 (Manaus is one of the cities who host the event), and devise a plan in "macro scale" for Manaus Metropolitan Region.