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City Hall uses 'spy grannies' to monitor bus companies that do not comply with free travel for senior citizens
Published on 03/06/2025 - 16:54 | Updated on 03/06/2025 - 17:18
The elderly women stand at the bus stops signaling to drivers. Photo: Disclosure/City Hall The Municipal Department of Healthy Aging is carrying out a major inspection and awareness-raising operation in the city, targeting bus drivers who disrespect the rights of the elderly on public transport.
To ensure compliance with the law on the elderly, the department has been counting on strategic help: it uses elderly women as 'spies' to catch drivers who do not stop at the bus stops and do not respect the free fare.
And these unusual passengers — the spy grannies — wear disguises and, therefore, cannot show their faces. They stand at the bus stops signaling to the drivers. When one of them passes by, they are immediately approached by a team of inspectors who are waiting for them at the next stop. They are alerted by the grannies, via cell phone, who send the number of the line and the bus that ignored the stop sign.
The officers then approach the driver and inform him about the operation and warn him that next time he will be fined. Those who stop properly at the stop are congratulated by the officers and receive a 'Driver Who Makes a Difference' seal (sticker).
– This operation will take place throughout the city, especially in the West Zone, where the number of incidents is huge. We will be on the trail of drivers to enforce the law and transform Rio into an elderly-friendly city -, says Secretary Felipe Michel.
One of the “spies” said that she feels safe and satisfied to be able to do something for herself and for other people who are going through the same problem.
– There are buses that stop. And there are those that don’t. You have to run to catch the bus and avoid being late for work. Only those who have been through this know –, says the “spy”.
From January until now, Central 1746 has registered 2.446 reports of buses not stopping at the stop for the elderly – an average of almost 16 calls per day.
Free public transportation is a right guaranteed by law for senior citizens. However, disrespect has become a routine occurrence on the streets of Rio, and is one of the most frequent complaints to the department's Ombudsman's Office.
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