Two bus terminals and another eight stops along a main artery of the Bogota Transmilenio bus service were blocked by protesters Tuesday.
The protests have seriously interrupted service along the Avenida Las Americas, as a large group of mostly youths camped out in bus stations along the route.
The protesters are venting their frustration at the poor service of the system, particularly the lack of buses and connections in the Kennedy neighborhood. Also a subject of the dissent is the price of fares which, at 2.000 Colombian Pesos, many passengers deem too expensive.
The mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, stated his intention to negotiate with protesters in order to lift the blockade which is the largest in the 11 year history of the Transmilenio.
The manager of the service, Carlos Garcia, sympathises with the protesters, describing their demands as justified. But he condemned the blockade at this time.
Garcia stated that 133 new buses will be arriving in March in order to ease pressure on the system. Garcia also intends to increase the frequency of buses during peak hours.
The daily commute of up to 8.000 Bogotanos was affected by the blockade.
