PERU · SECURITY
Bus and minibus drivers in Lima plan to stop work and march to Peru’s Congress on Tuesday 10 November 2026 to protest extortion and the killing of drivers by criminal gangs. Travellers who rely on the companies taking part should expect suspended routes and slower traffic in central Lima, because the organisers say services will stop while the march lasts.
Key Facts
- When and where Tuesday 10 November 2026, from 7:00 a.m. near the Plaza de Acho bullring, then to Congress.
- Who ANITRA, a Peruvian transport trade group, says more than 50 bus companies will take part.
- Why Extortion by criminal gangs and killings of drivers, and what the group calls government inaction.
- What next The group says it will call a strike in the coming days if its demands go unmet.
- Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 53.9 points (November 2026 edition).
Extortion means gangs demand regular payments from bus owners and drivers, and attack those who refuse. Prosecutors link attacks on Lima’s public transport to suspected extortion.
What Is Planned
The National Association for the Integration of Transporters, known as ANITRA, called the march to protest extortion by criminal gangs and the killing of drivers. Its president, Martín Valeriano, said the gathering starts at 7:00 a.m. near the Plaza de Acho, a historic bullring in Lima’s Rímac district, and moves towards the Congress building.
Valeriano said more than 50 public-transport companies in his group will take part and that their services will be suspended during the march. He said other companies are expected to join.
He said the group plans to meet Óscar Reto, president of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Peru’s Congress. He also hopes officials from the national government will meet the drivers.
Valeriano warned that ANITRA will call a strike in the coming days if the authorities do not meet its demands on the safety of public-transport workers. “There is government inaction,” he said, adding that photographs on security are worth little when there are no results so far.
Why Drivers Are Angry
Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público), through its Observatory against Crime, counted 214 attacks with victims on public transport in Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao between August 2024 and May 2026. Those attacks, which it links to suspected extortion, left 152 people dead and 131 injured.
The report found that firearms were used in 97.7% of these attacks and that drivers made up 69.3% of the victims. Separately, the Observatory counted 126 attacks of all kinds between January and May 2026, 87 of them with dead or injured victims.
For earlier coverage, see our reports on Lima’s transport extortion crisis and on armoured buses in Callao. Our Peru coverage hub tracks the wider security picture.
What It Means for You
Visitors and residents in central Lima on Tuesday should plan for slower traffic around the Plaza de Acho and the Congress, and for gaps in service from companies that join the march. Check with your operator or hotel before you travel.
A strike would be a bigger test than a march, and ANITRA has not said when it would start. For businesses and commuters, the real question is whether the government answers the drivers before then.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how many companies will actually suspend service on Tuesday, or whether Reto will receive the group at Congress. The announcement names a start point and a destination but no exact route.
It is also unclear whether the national government will send officials to meet the drivers before the march. ANITRA has set no date for a possible strike.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Lima transport march?
On Tuesday 10 November 2026. The gathering starts at 7:00 a.m. near the Plaza de Acho and moves towards Congress.
Is it a strike?
The organiser calls it a march, and participating companies say they will suspend service while it lasts. It says a strike could follow in the coming days if its demands are not met.
Why are Lima’s drivers protesting?
They want protection from extortion gangs and an end to the killing of drivers. Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office counted 214 attacks with victims on Lima and Callao public transport between August 2024 and May 2026.
Sources: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Peru (Ministerio Público), Observatory against Crime, statistical report on attacks on public transport in Lima Metropolitana and Callao linked to suspected extortion, August 2024 to May 2026 (published June 2026); statements by ANITRA (Asociación Nacional de Integración de Transportistas) president Martín Valeriano, announced ahead of the march; Chamber of Deputies of Peru.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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