São Paulo Bus Stations to Move One Million by New Year’s Eve

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The most populated city in South America, with almost twelve million people, is going to see holiday makers filling the roadways in an attempt to get somewhere for the News Year’s Eve festivities. According to government sources, about 230,000 people will leave the city of São Paulo today (December 26th) and tomorrow (December 27th) through the bus terminals of Tietê, Barra Funda and Jabaquara.

By January 1st, the New Year’s holiday is expected to see more than one million passengers in the three terminals. The most popular destinations are Paraty in Rio de Janeiro state, the south of Minas Gerais state, and the inner cities and the coast of São Paulo state. Socicam, the organization that manages the bus stations, has said that the lines for these locations will have extra buses.

The company’s plans for the holiday also includes a fifteen percent increase in staff the areas of operation, cleaning, maintenance and security. The best time to travel is in the morning or in the afternoon when the movement of travelers is reduced.

Some recommendations to passengers are purchasing the ticket in advance, to get to the terminal an hour early, identify baggage clearly, and to make sure if traveling with children to bring documents. Children under twelve years old can travel with their parents, legal guardians, siblings over eighteen years old, grandparents or uncles and aunts. Otherwise, need written authorization signed by a parent or guardian and notarized.