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City Hall launches bidding process for the RIO System to renew all city buses
Published on 17/10/2025 - 12:28 | Updated
One of the new bus models in the RIO System - Reproduction Rio de Janeiro City Hall is launching a bidding process this Friday (October 17th) to begin the renewal of the city's entire bus fleet. The new RIO System – Integrated Bus Network – will determine the companies that will operate the city's fleet. The renewal begins in the West Zone, on the Santa Cruz and Campo Grande lines. The full bidding process and its annexes are available on the city's website. Department of Transportation and National Public Procurement Portal (PNCP).
The competition was defined in conjunction with more than 700 contributions from society, through a public consultation held between July and August of this year. The public notice will select new concessionaires to operate the service under a common concession regime, with a ten-year term, renewable for an equal period.
The new bidding process is the result of a judicial agreement signed in April 2025 between the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, the Rio de Janeiro State Public Prosecutor's Office, and the four consortia currently operating the bus lines. The bidding process for new concessions was originally scheduled for 2028 but was brought forward and will be conducted in five phases, starting with the West Zone.
"The BRT was an important milestone in the city's recovery. Now, we will move forward with a structural change to the city's regular bus system. We will benefit millions of passengers daily. It's a profound transformation, and its results will be felt gradually. We will start with the areas that need it most," stated Municipal Transportation Secretary Maína Celidonio.
In this first phase, three lots will be auctioned—one in Santa Cruz and two in Campo Grande—with an estimated investment of R$577 million. The new concessionaires will be responsible for acquiring and operating the fleet, maintaining the vehicles, implementing and managing public parking garages, and installing intelligent transportation systems (ITS), which will enable real-time monitoring and greater operational efficiency.
Fleet will increase in Campo Grande and Santa Cruz
In Campo Grande, the number of inter-neighborhood buses will increase from 95 to approximately 152, and vehicles serving local connections will increase from 37 to approximately 160. In Santa Cruz, the local fleet will grow from 67 to approximately 216 buses.
Each lot will have its own public garage, located on Estrada do Campinho in Campo Grande, with a complete workshop, fueling, administration, and maintenance infrastructure. The new concession model provides for compensation per kilometer driven, with public subsidy and quality assessment using the Transportation Performance Index (IDT), which will evaluate the companies' performance quarterly and may influence the compensation amount.
The new fleet will be fully accessible, with air conditioning, low flooring in basic vehicles, an accessibility ramp, three doors, and sustainable Euro VI technology, which reduces pollutant emissions. Cash payments on board will be eliminated, with exclusive use of the electronic ticketing system.
Next stages
The subsequent stages of the bidding process will be organized by region, prioritizing areas with the worst operational performance. The new model divides the city into 34 lots—22 structural and 12 local—which will allow for expanded coverage and more efficient line management.
The full schedule includes:
– Phase 1: until April/2026 (Campo Grande and Santa Cruz)
– Phase 2: November/2025 to September/2026 (West Zone, Vila Isabel and Ilha do Governador)
– Phase 3: April/2026 to April/2027 (West Zone, Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá and North Zone)
– Phase 4: November/2026 to November/2027 (West Zone, Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá and North Zone)
– Final phase: September/2027 to August/2028 (South Zone and lines in other regions with a good service evaluation index)
The operational quality of companies under the current concession contract is measured quarterly by the Transportation Quality Index (TQI), which analyzes factors such as regularity, passenger satisfaction, average fleet age, air conditioning, and penalties. Lines with a score below 0,8 may lose their exclusivity and be transferred to new operators or managed directly by the City Hall.
