Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez confirmed this Saturday that the Government is holding talks with the concessionaire of the Bicentennial Cable Car (Teleférico Bicentenario) to evaluate a possible integration of its fare with Red Movilidad, following criticism from the mayor of Huechuraba, Maximiliano Luksic, over the costs the service would entail for passengers. The official explained that incorporation into the public transportation system requires additional agreements, because the project was awarded under a contract that did not contemplate that type of integration. "It is a private concession and therefore there is a conversation aimed at finding mechanisms for a possible integration," said Pavez. The undersecretary added that a meeting between Executive branch authorities and representatives of the concessionaire took place on Friday to address this possibility.
Pavez opens the door to integrating the Bicentennial Cable Car into Red: "It is a conversation that is ongoing"
In that regard, he stated that the Government's intention is to facilitate access to the service, although he stressed that there are still contractual conditions that must be resolved. "It is a conversation that is ongoing, in which the government's willingness is to facilitate this means of transport being affordable to the greatest number of people. However, we cannot ignore that this was not part of the awarded concession contract," he said.
The discussion arose after Mayor Luksic criticized that the Bicentennial Cable Car, which will connect Huechuraba with Providencia in approximately 13 minutes, did not have its incorporation into the public transportation network guaranteed. In a letter, the mayor warned that, if the planned fare scheme remained in place, each leg would cost more than 1,000 pesos, with no reduced fares for students or seniors. He also argued that the lack of integration would make connection with the system's buses difficult and would force users to assume an additional expense to use the cable car in their daily commutes.
Luksic maintained that, despite earlier integration commitments, the conversations he had held with the Executive branch pointed to the project remaining outside the system.
Luksic values the openness
After Pavez's statements, the mayor of Huechuraba reacted favorably to the possibility that the Government might move forward on an agreement with the concessionaire. "I value that Undersecretary Pavez opens the possibility that the Government decides to integrate the fare of the Huechuraba - Providencia Cable Car," Luksic expressed through his X account. However, he insisted that the project must function as an everyday transportation alternative and not as a service limited to those who can afford an additional fare. "We will continue insisting strongly that this means of transport be urban and that our neighbors can really use it, and not only those who have the option of spending close to 50,000 pesos extra per month to get around," he added.
The mayor also highlighted the benefits the cable car could represent for the residents of Huechuraba, particularly the reduction in travel times toward the eastern sector of Santiago. In his post, he raised the importance of moving toward cleaner, safer transportation that can reduce to 13 minutes a journey that currently can take an hour.