Cachoeira do Sul bus contract controversy

In mid‑July 2026, the municipality of Cachoeira do Sul in Brazil approved a 12‑month emergency contract with Expresso Presidente Getúlio to operate its urban bus system, deploying 16 weekday and eight weekend buses. The agreement was accompanied by a joint training initiative with SEST SENAT, which delivered 130 appointments in five days to prepare transport workers for the new service.

By early August, the contract came under municipal scrutiny. The Transport and Mobility Secretary, Orion Ponsi, was summoned to a special plenary session after councilor Mariana Carlos raised concerns that the emergency tender may have been biased. Questions focused on the contract’s technical criteria, pricing, duration, and the secretary’s admission of sharing the project with companies before a formal tender. The inquiry also examined whether a strike by the previous operator justified the emergency measure and noted a planned paid rotating parking system whose revenues would support the transport service.