In line with its strategy to penetrate emerging markets, Sweden's Volvo Group has bagged a huge order of 1,000 Volvo B7RLE bus chassis from the Transmassivo consortium in Panama. It has been a particularly impressive year for the Swedish carmaker in Latin America so far, having secured orders for 297 Volvo buses and 323 coaches from Chile and Mexico respectively earlier this year. BMI points out that in addition to growing optimism in the region, the carmaker is being helped by the widespread investment in transport infrastructure in the region, which mostly aims to improve public transport. (www.autosinsight.com)    

The single fare for the new Metro Bus system will be 45 cents for routes in Panama City and $1.25 for buses that use the Northern and Southern corridors, as announced yesterday by the Minister of the Presidency, Demetrio Papadimitriu. There will be a new system in place that will allow riders to transfer from one bus to another, within a period of 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours) from the time that the first payment is made.During that period, the user will be able to make as many stops or transfers as necessary to be able to reach their final destination, without having to make any additional payment.

According to the Government, there will be at least 700 kiosks installed at various points in Panama City where riders will be able to recharge swipe cards. The new rate will take affect in the month of December 2010 when the first 120 new buses will be delivered to Panama. The buses will be built by Volvo and Mercedes Benz and have a capacity for 85 passengers.

The actual passage the company should charge is 64 cents, however as the result of a negotiation between the State and the contract winner, they achieved a reduction of 15 cents through subsidies in the purchase of diesel, tires and other consumables. To lower the rate to 45 cents, the State will pay a direct subsidy of $8 million dollars annually. Minister Papadimitriu explained that every penny of the subsidy represents a contribution of $2 million dollars from the State. For his part, Dionisio Ortega, the Chairman of the Transportation Board (CANATRA) said they feel "satisfied" and that they would wait until the new system starts operating so that it will be the users who decide if they agree or not with the levels of service being provided.

In order to pay to ride the bus, users must purchase a rechargeable electronic card. The routes of the Metro Bus will run from the Albrook Mall to the La commercial center, and in the area of 24 de Diciembre to the North as far as Chilibre. Before starting the system, the concessionaire will have to make a database that will include at least 700,000 individual users, and each card will be personalized with a photograph of the user. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Wow. So, each person riding a bus will have an individual and personalized card. No card, you can't ride. Of course this now means that the government will be able to track the daily movements of anyone but just pulling up their riding habits on the bus system database. I would have preferred something a little less "big brother" but oh well...   

KLM Airlines, Avianca, Delta Airlines, Taca, and Copa Airlines took part yesterday in the event of the receipt of tender bids for the framework agreement for the provision of international air travel service for government agencies during the period 2010 - 2011, with a reference value of $10 million dollars. According to the General Director of Procurement (DGCP), Eldis Ivan Sanchez, there are companies that are willing to offer discounts from 2% to 40% on ticket prices, ensuring substantial savings to the state. (La Critica)   

The installation of the new system of traffic lights in Panama City has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of vehicle accidents or collisions in the metropolitan area, according to the General Director of the Land Transit and Transport Authority (ATTT), Jorge Ricardo Fabrega. Fabrega said this is evidenced by investigations and statistical analysis of data made by his staff since last January. Fabrega added that another fundamental purpose of the traffic lights is the control of the flow of traffic through the city, which has also been significantly improved. Speaking in a television interview given on Channel 13 Telemetro Reporta this morning, Fabrega said they are making the most of this new system. He said this will be enhanced even more once they add cameras to the traffic lights, "which will allow us to ticket and fine those drivers who ignore traffic signals," he said. (La Prensa)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Received this morning via email: "It was suggested to me that I write panama-guide to let you know that we made a trip to the US Embassy Consulate today to get a US drivers license verified in order to start the process to obtain a Panamanian license. The US Emb is not verifying licenses at this time because they are in discussion about future handling. It's futile to go to the Embassy for that reason right now. Thanks. Jill"

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.    

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - One of the things that really screws up traffic in Panama City is that every time there's a minor fender-bender at an intersection, the drivers leave their vehicles exactly as they were at the time of the accident and wait for hours for the traffic police to show up. The reasoning is (was) that the police officer would make some kind of a statement on the form indicating who was at fault. The end result of this policy is daily traffic jams, caused by these little fender benders. The National Assembly recently passed a new law changing this. If there is a minor traffic accident - meaning, an accident with no personal injuries - then both drivers are to move their cars out of the roadway, exchange their personal information using a new form that will be developed by the Ground Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT), and go on their merry way. Both drivers then have to turn that for in within 72 hours of the accident, and the ATTT will make a ruling as to who was responsible. If there is an injury, then the old rules of "don't move the vehicles" still apply. Here is a translation of the new law, which, by the way, has already been published in the "Gaceta Oficial" so it's the law of the land, right now. I am also providing a link to the original document in Spanish which you might want to print out and keep in your car. I expect it will take a few years before everyone is dialed into the new paradigm. Anyway, here's the translation of the new law... (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (987 words)

After adding data on outstanding traffic tickets to the "Pele Police" database, the Ground Transit and Traffic Authority received approximately $2 million dollars in the payments of outstanding traffic fines, said the agency's director Ricardo Jorge Fabrega. Fábrega also announced the board of the institution approved a moratorium, so that motorists will be able to pay late fines without having to pay penalties. Also, since the electronic information was included in the database, the ATTT's website www.transito.gob.pa has received more than 2 million visits by people checking their accounts to see of they have any outstanding traffic tickets to pay, according to data from the Information Unit of the ATTT. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: About 125,000 drivers in Panama still owe another $26 million dollars in outstanding traffic tickets and fines, even after the receipt of this $2 million dollars in payments this week. When the news broke that the ATTT had incorporated their data into the "Pele Police" - small electronic handheld devices used by police officers on the street to quickly check to see if a person is wanted for a crime - drivers rushed to the offices of the ATTT to pay outstanding tickets that in some cases had been sitting there for years. If a police officer checks your record in the "Pele Police" device and it comes back that you have an outstanding ticket, that you are in "contempt" - then they confiscate your driver's licence and have your car towed away if you can't get someone else to show up to drive it away in 30 minutes or less. The ATTT responded to the long lines of people waiting to pay outstanding fines by expanding their hours.   

There are now more than 200 "Pele Police" units deployed on the streets of Panama, ready to catch red-handed those drivers who have not paid outstanding fines to the Ground Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT). The devices can now be used to access the ATTT databases which show tickets and fines owed by drivers. With this measure, the ATTT is seeking to recover the $28.5 million dollars in outstanding tickets and fines owed by about 125,000 drivers. According to Sub Commissioner Teofilo Moreno of the Traffic Police, they will initiate an operation today with some 200 to 300 police officers deployed to different parts of the country. Ginette Borace, the ATTT Judge Executor, said that for the operation the data reflected in the "pele police" apparatus has been updated, so that at a police checkpoint the driver's licence is checked, and any outstanding tickets or fines with the institution would be reflected. If that is the case, the driver's licence will be suspended on the spot and the driver will be fined, she explained.

It is expected that with the announcement of this operation, an avalanche of people will report to the ATTT today to pay their outstanding traffic fines and tickets in order to avoid the consequences of being caught on the street. Borace said users can access their history and see any outstanding fines owed without having to go to the headquarters of the institution by going through the ATTT website. Esteban Rodriguez, the Secretary General of the National Transportation Board (Canatra) noted that this measure affects transportation, but there is a responsibility for drivers to pay their debts. He said that since the ATTT will be suspending licenses and towing vehicles away, then they should allow people to make payment arrangements to pay off their debts over time. (El Siglo)   

Many taxi drivers were caught by surprise at a traffic check point established by police near the Los Andes shopping center. Traffic police detained those drivers whose cars had dark tinted window treatments. Taxi drivers were forced to remove the tinted paper from the front windows of their cars. According to the National Police, this measure has been applied to enhance the safety for passengers and to prevent the dark tinted windows from possibly being used to hide criminal acts. (Telemetro)   

Ginette Borace, the Executing Judge for the Ground Transit and Transportation Authority (ATTT), announced that starting next Monday, 21 June 2010, ATTT inspectors in conjunction with the National Police will start to use the "Pele Police" system against drivers in the Republic of Panama. According to Borac, they have decided to implement this measure because approximately 125,000 drivers owe the ATTT more than $28.5 million dollars in fines and fees. The official explained that every driver who has been ticketed for an infraction has 30 days to pay the ticket, and if they do not make the payment within that time they will be registered as "in contempt" in the "Pele Police" system. "If the driver is stopped and if the system shows that the driver 'in contempt' his license will be retained, and he will be given 30 minutes to call someone else who can legally drive. If another driver cannot come to drive the car away, the inspector will have the authority to call a tow truck to impound the vehicle," she added. She added that people who owe the ATTT more than $300 dollars can make an arrangement to pay off the debt in payments, by paying 60% of the amount owed and the rest in installment payments. Borac said the data available through the "Pele Police" system is up to date, and that they have been working to coordinate with Teófilo Moreno of the National Police for the past 20 days. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Head's up, here it comes. If you owe any money to the ATTT or if you have any outstanding tickets, you might want to run down there and pay what you owe. Starting next Monday you might find yourself standing by the side of the road, watching your car as it's towed away... Hey, the people have been clamoring for greater "security" right? Can you believe there are $28.5 million dollars out there in unpaid traffic tickets in a country with only 3.5 million people? That's $8.14 for every man, woman, and child in the country. The 125,000 drivers who owe the $28.5 million - that's an average of $228 per driver. I know there are bus and taxi drivers out there who owe thousands of dollars in fines that have never been collected. They have not paid because no one has forced them to, until now.