(the saga continues; aka, i get more chances to try to figure out what’s going on)
sube cards, which are issued by the government free of charge, look generally like any other plastic credit card or key card. they can be loaded and reloaded with money and quickly tapped for payment at sensors when entering both buses and subway terminals in buenos aires. without them, one must frequently buy new paper tickets (available in various numbers of rides per card) for the subway, or must always have the necessary fare in coins when riding the bus.
more than anything, obtaining the proper coins for the bus is an enormous pain. regularly, you find yourself frantically asking friends for change as the bus approaches or running off to the nearby drugstore to purchase some random small item just to get the coins that you need. one of the individuals participating in the same study abroad program as me has now tried every flavor of the farmacity’s (equivalent to cvs or walgreens) extensive line of granola bars, expressly because of her need to get change every day for the bus. exchanging paper money for coins in banks is a near impossible alternative due to their short hours and extremely long lines each day.
argentina has experienced a rather persistent shortage of coins for some time now, and this card (which has been around since february 2009) has been huge in efforts to ease this dilemma. (1)
recently, however, the card has become about a lot more than just easing the shortage of coins. transportation in buenos aires has been fairly generously subsidized in the past, and it has become very clear that this subsidy cannot be sustained. in january, just as i arrived in the country, the national government turned control of the subway system over to the city government in buenos aires. immediately, fares shot up to more than double what they had been, from $1,10 per ride to $2,50. rumors circulated that another peso might even be added to this if an agreement was not reached soon on subsidies.
everyone, with good reason, panicked. the private workers responsible for operating the subway in the city went on strike in opposition to the increases, allowing crowds of individuals to pass through terminal gates during rush hour without paying anything. (2) this was definitely an appreciated (and unexpected) gift some two weeks ago, when after taking the subway downtown to make a very early morning appointment for a background check (necessary to obtain a student visa), i found only upon arrival to the office that the workers here had gone on strike as well. for what reason, i couldn’t say.
as individuals continue to speculate about where the fares may settle for the subway, the government has declared that come 10 february, there will be yet another change in the fares for both buses and the subway. announced via a vague government advertisement on 24 january, the only way to avoid this hike as an individual will be to have a sube card. with this increasingly precious card, individuals will be able to continue paying the current subsidized fare; without it, they surrender all subsidies on fares. (3)
hence, the unbelievable lines. demand for sube cards has increased by 300% since this announcement on tuesday. numerous post offices and outlets known for carrying the cards across the city have signs in their windows declaring that they are out. those locations that do still have the cards are tremendously overwhelmed by individuals wanting to acquire one, and by necessity, hours for all of these public outlets have been extended until 7 in the evening.
so, why would the government more or less mandate the sube card for anyone using public transit in buenos aires? though it has not been publicly announced, the opinion is that this is only the first step in segmenting fares for passengers according to their income level. simply to obtain a card, it is necessary to provide personal identification to be tied to the card. the possibility that fares for some portions of society will be subsidized differently than fares for others seems nearly inevitable. (4)
i have a feeling i’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more about all of this in the coming months.
and no, despite my greatest efforts, i have not obtained a sube card yet. hopefully, very hopefully, soon.
