Rio System: New buses will begin operating this month in the West Zone.

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall presented, this Wednesday (August 12th), at the São Sebastião Administrative Center (CASS), in Cidade Nova, the first bus models of the RIO System (Integrated Bus Network), the city's new bus transportation network. The vehicles will begin operating in August in the West Zone, benefiting residents of Santa Cruz, Sepetiba, Paciência, Cosmos, Inhoaíba, and Campo Grande. This marks the beginning of the implementation of the new municipal public transportation concession model.

The vehicles that make up the new fleet were presented: the basic bus, the midi model, and the minibus. These vehicles represent the first two areas of implementation of the RIO System — Santa Cruz, identified by the color purple, and Campo Grande, by the color orange. The basic vehicles have a low floor, which facilitates access for passengers with special needs and reduced mobility.

"These are new buses. The low-floor buses have technology that improves access for people with disabilities and the elderly, who already have free access in Jaé. These buses kneel down to allow people to board. We are fulfilling exactly what we committed to: to make the same transformation with the bus lines that was done with the BRTs. It is the result of a lot of planning and a lot of management," highlighted Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.

The implementation will occur gradually. Santa Cruz will be the first region to receive the RIO System, with operations beginning on August 24th, when 115 new buses identified by the color purple will enter circulation. Campo Grande will join the new system on August 30th, with 54 new buses in orange.

In total, 169 new buses will begin operating in August. The concession contracts for the Santa Cruz and Campo Grande regions were signed in March of this year. In these areas, the fleet will increase from the current 104 to 316 buses. By December, another 147 vehicles will be incorporated into the system, according to the implementation schedule.

– This marks the beginning of the implementation of the new system and the transformation of conventional buses, starting in the area of ​​the city with the worst service, which is the West Zone. With this delivery, we complete the initial fleet for the first phase and continue until 2028, with the complete renewal... – said the Municipal Secretary of Transportation, Jorge Arraes.

During the presentation of the new vehicles, wheelchair user Raphael Pinho, 39, successfully tested the accessibility provided by the new low-floor buses:

– The importance of this is that it gives us the autonomy to move around inside the bus. Much more than just having a ramp, it's about having the autonomy to get on and move around.

First lines of the RIO System

The first lines to operate under the new concession model will be the following:

Santa Cruz (starting August 24th)

804 Terminal Curral Falso – Campo Grande

809 Sacred Heart – Liberty Complex

825 Jesuits – Campo Grande

840 São Fernando – Campo Grande

842 Santa Cruz – Campo Grande

849 Santa Cruz Air Base – Campo Grande

868 Santa Cruz Cloverleaf – Campo Grande

870 Sepetiba – Santa Cruz

892 Santa Cruz – Vitor Dumas

898 Sepetiba – Campo Grande

Campo Grande (starting August 30th)

808 Sacred Heart – Campo Grande

821 Campo Grande – Corcundinha

822 Campo Grande – Corcundinha

833 Manguariba Complex – Campo Grande

841 Campo Grande – Inhoaíba

869 Santa Margarida – Campo Grande

893 Jardim Palmares – Campo Grande

More technology, comfort, and accessibility.

The new fleet was designed to offer greater comfort, safety, accessibility, and operational efficiency. All vehicles will be equipped with air conditioning, internal temperature control technology, USB ports for charging cell phones, a sound system with speakers and a microphone for communication with passengers, electronic panels with trip information, automatic audible announcements of upcoming stops, and an emergency button for panic or harassment situations.

The basic buses will feature a low floor, rear engine, three doors, and accessibility ramp, ensuring faster boarding and inclusion for people with disabilities and reduced mobility. The entire fleet will meet accessibility standards and use Euro VI technology engines, which significantly reduces pollutant emissions.

Enhanced security

The new buses also incorporate technologies focused on the safety of passengers and drivers. Among the onboard equipment are monitoring cameras, an internal panel for viewing images, automatic acceleration locking when doors are open, an internal speedometer, and intelligent driver assistance systems.

The fleet will also feature the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), which helps prevent accidents, and the DMS (Driver Monitoring System), responsible for identifying signs of driver fatigue or distraction, contributing to safer operation.

Real-time monitoring

Another innovation of the RIO System will be the intelligent monitoring of operations. All vehicles will be connected via GPS, telemetry, ticket validators, automatic passenger counters, and an AVL system, allowing for real-time fleet tracking and more efficient service management.

As part of this new oversight model, the City Hall is implementing an Operational Control Center (CCO) exclusively for monitoring the entire operation of municipal buses at the Operations and Resilience Center (COR).

Integrated with the onboard systems, the CCO will allow continuous monitoring of vehicle circulation, automatic alerts about incidents, tracking of operational performance indicators and driver behavior through telemetry, analyzing information such as sudden accelerations and braking. Images from onboard cameras can also be used to assess specific situations and reinforce operational safety.

The new center will also centralize citizen service channels, integrating information received from intelligent transportation systems, the 1746 service, inspection teams, and even reports submitted by the public through social media. After validation, these occurrences may impact the performance indicators of operating companies and, when contractually stipulated, result in the application of penalties or a reduction in remuneration, strengthening the City Hall's control over the quality of service provided.

With the implementation of the RIO System, the City Hall is advancing in the modernization of municipal public transportation, with a more sustainable, accessible, and technologically equipped fleet, combining innovation, permanent oversight, and higher quality for passengers.

Fleet renewal has already begun.

The implementation of the RIO System is already producing concrete results. Even before the new concession began operating, the City Hall added more than 350 brand-new buses to the municipal fleet, all equipped with air conditioning and the new system's visual identity. This initiative expands transportation options, improves operational regularity, and offers passengers greater comfort, safety, and reliability.

The process began in December 2025, when the first 100 buses entered circulation in 20 neighborhoods in the West Zone. In April of this year, another 112 vehicles began operating in neighborhoods such as Barra da Tijuca, Ilha do Governador, Jacarepaguá, Paciência, Bangu, and Realengo. On May 24th, another 100 buses reinforced the operation of lines in the West Zone. On June 7th, another 40 vehicles began circulating in Vila Isabel and surrounding neighborhoods, allowing the gradual resumption of important lines and consolidating the expansion of fleet renewal to different regions of the city.

Second stage of the bidding process

The transformation of public transportation will continue to advance. The second phase of the RIO System bidding process is scheduled for August 28th and should result in the addition of approximately 1.400 new buses to the fleet, increasing the number of vehicles in circulation in the covered regions by 57%. This new phase foresees an increase in the number of bus lines in Guaratiba, Santa Cruz, Campo Grande, Bangu, Vila Isabel, and Ilha do Governador. The City Hall's strategy is to initially direct investments to areas that have historically faced greater difficulties in the supply and quality of service.

 

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August 12th, 2026

Appointments: Campo Grande new bus Santa Cruz Municipal Department of Transport (SMTR) Rio System SMTR West zone