Va y Ven Bus Strike Paralyzes Merida’s Metropolitan Circuit, Strands Thousands

Merida, Yucatan — The Va y Ven public transport system faced a major crisis Thursday as drivers on the Circuito Metropolitano route launched a labor strike, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the city.

From early morning, dozens of buses remained parked at the depot while drivers demanded better working conditions, wage increases, and an end to what they called unjustified deductions from their pay.

The service suspension directly affected workers, students, and residents who rely on the route daily to travel around the state capital, causing long waits, unexpected expenses, and chaos at several stops.

Drivers displayed signs during the protest calling for “dignified treatment,” “fair wages,” “no illegal deductions,” “no deductible charges,” and formal employment contracts, highlighting the depth of discontent among the system’s workers.

Antonio Oviedo, a representative of the movement, said they want to establish a serious dialogue with signed agreements directly with the concessionaire company, arguing that previous meetings with the Yucatan Transport Agency (ATY) did not resolve their demands.

“We are asking for a dialogue that has substance and real answers,” Oviedo said, adding that the labor issues have been unresolved for about two years.

According to the drivers, around 95 operators from the route participated in the strike. In total, 36 buses were stopped: 18 from the inner circuit and 18 from the outer circuit.

While negotiations remain stalled, the impact on citizens was felt from early morning. Carlos Tun said he lost valuable time before a job interview after waiting nearly 40 minutes for a bus that never came. He eventually had to pay for a ride-hailing service with a high fare to try to arrive on time.

“These days, punctuality is everything,” he lamented.

For other users, the economic impact was even harsher. Baruch Muñoz noted that the Circuito Metropolitano route is practically his only direct connection to his workplace, and the strike caused him to lose part of his shift and his punctuality bonus.

Students were also affected. Javier Canché, who had to take an exam and then go to his part-time job, said he ended up paying more than 120 pesos for a shared private transport service to get around.

“I practically ran out of money for my food today,” he said.

The situation exposed the fragility of a transport system that, despite investment in new buses, technology, and a modern image, continues to face internal labor conflicts that directly hit the thousands of users who depend on the service every day.

As of now, there is no certainty about when the Circuito Metropolitano will fully resume operations, as drivers and the company remain at odds over wages, working conditions, and benefits.