Protests erupted at ground stations in cities like Guayaquil and Quito, the most populous in the Andean country.
The call to protest came from the National Confederation of Public Transport for Inland and Provincial Passengers in Ecuador (Fenacotip), by decision of union leaders and drivers’ cooperatives across the national territory.
Pictures on social media during the day showed ticket windows closed and passengers waiting for the bus to be able to travel to their destinations.
Lack of resources to operate and high fuel prices are two of the main reasons why inter-provincial and inter-county bus drivers have stopped operating.
In a summary of the early hours of the strike, Fenacotip chief Abel Gomez cautioned that the measures are not drastic.
Initially, the downtime is scheduled for 48 hours, but it can be extended if the plaintiffs do not receive the responses expected from the executive.
The protest comes a few days after a meeting between the leaders of the transport union and a number of ministers, in order to search for a solution and prevent the strike, but without reaching an agreement.
jha / scm
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