The Agencia Nacional de Tránsito deployed an inspection operation at the Carcelén and Quitumbe interprovincial bus terminals in Quito to verify ticket prices ahead of the August 10 holiday. Agents inspected prices charged by transport operators and detected irregularities at several cooperatives as thousands of travelers prepared to leave the city.
During the inspection at one terminal, officials found a cooperative charging passengers $16 for a ticket to Manabí province, above the authorized rate of $15. Authorities boarded the bus to check tickets and opened an investigation to determine responsibility and sanctions.
Miguel Pazmiño, a technical and sectoral control analyst at the Agencia Nacional de Tránsito, said inspectors checked whether operators complied with authorized rates under Resolution 020. He said officers detected several anomalies and would initiate administrative proceedings after completing desk reviews.
Undercover Inspections at Terminals
The operation began around 9:45 a.m. on Friday, August 7, and continued past noon. At the Quitumbe terminal, officials carried out a procedure known as ghost buyers, approaching ticket windows to ask about prices before presenting their credentials.
Pazmiño said staff posing as ghost buyers verified published fares and monitored for irregularities before showing official credentials to inspect ticket sales and bus units.
Authorized Rates and Penalties
The new interprovincial fare schedule took effect on August 1 following studies conducted since July, establishing a 25 percent rate adjustment. Under the updated structure, a standard ticket from Quito to Guayaquil costs $14.66, while the preferential rate is $7.33.
A standard ticket from Tulcán to Quito costs $8.77, with a $4.38 preferential rate for older adults, people with disabilities, and minors. Standard fares from Quito to Cuenca are set at $17.25, with an $8.63 preferential rate. Travel from Quito to Esmeraldas costs $11.07 standard or $5.53 preferential, while fares to Manta and Portoviejo are marked at $15 standard and $7.50 preferential.
Pazmiño said penalties under Article 80, numerals 1 and 5, of the Transit Law equal four unified basic salaries. He added that Article 82, numeral 4, punishes charging above authorized limits with a fine of six unified basic salaries.
Higher Fares Reported by Passengers
Travelers at the terminals reported paying higher amounts for their journeys. Passenger Júnior Seminario, traveling with his wife to Quevedo, said he paid $10 to reach Santo Domingo, where someone would pick him up to continue to Quevedo. He said he previously paid $6 to reach the Quevedo canton and purchased from another cooperative because the original bus departed later.
Jessica Barre, a tourist living in Quito who was traveling to her hometown of Chone, said she usually paid between $10 and $12 on normal days and holidays. For this trip, she had to pay $13.25 per person, totaling $26.50 for two tickets.
