The Great Cuenca Bus Makeover: Wisdom, Wit, and the Price of Progress

If you’ve lived in Cuenca for more than a week, you’ve likely experienced the "Bus Stop Roulette." You stand on the curb, squinting at an approaching green machine, trying to decipher a tiny, sun-bleached number on the windshield while the driver decides if your frantic waving looks more like a friendly greeting than a request to board.

Well, dear neighbors, grab your reading glasses and a comfortable seat. The Cantonal Council recently emerged from a marathon session with a new plan to merge the bus and Tranvia systems. While the intent is to bring us into the 21st century, the reality—much like a bus ride during rush hour—is a bit more crowded and complicated than it first appears.

In a move that proves good things come to those who wait (for about 20 years), the city is finally implementing a color-coded system for bus lines. Each route will eventually have a specific identifiable color on its board.

As someone who once accidentally ended up in Baños when I was trying to get to Supermaxi (hey, we’ve all been there), I can tell you this is a godsend. Unless you have the hawk-like vision of a teenager, identifying those small boards from 40 feet away while the bus is barreling toward you at "Cuenca Speed" is a high-stakes sport.

To see how these changes compare to the recent history of city-wide disputes, you might want to revisit our previous post on Cuenca's Mobility Crisis: The Bus Strike and the City's Response, which sets the stage for why these changes are happening now.

The city has outlined 12 quality enhancements that bus owners must now follow. It’s an ambitious list that sounds like a tech-startup’s dream:

Smart Stops: Wi-Fi, phone charging ports, and touchscreens. (Finally, a place to charge your phone while you wait for the bus you just missed!)

Panic Buttons & Cameras: Directly linked to the Security Council.

Color-Coded Routes: Making life easier for us non-hawks.

500 New Signs: Better info at every stop.

Modern LED Signage: No more squinting at poorly designed bards.

Night Owl Service: Extended hours for certain lines.

Route Optimization: Better frequency for the busiest roads.

Real-Time Screens: Knowing exactly how many minutes of life you have left before the next Line 100 arrives.

Free Wi-Fi: to read and enjoy the Cuenca Expat HUB while travelling on the bus.

Emergency Buttons: Integrated into the stop infrastructure.

Total Electronic Payment: Moving toward a completely cash-free system.

Infrastructure Planning: Structural reordering of stops.

If you’re still getting used to the current system before these "smart" features arrive, check out our guide on Riding the Bus and Tranvia in Cuenca: What Expats and Visitors Need to Know.

Here is where the “wisdom” comes in. The Mayor and the Transportation Chamber agreed on a 10-cent fare increase. However, the city decided that the user will still only pay 30 cents (15 cents for seniors/students). The extra 10 cents will be covered by a city subsidy.

While this sounds like a "free" win, remember: the city budget doesn't have a magical money tree in Parque Calderón. Since the municipality is already running a deficit, most Cuencanos will likely pay that 10 cents through other taxes or fees later. It’s a bit like your friend "treating" you to dinner using your own credit card—nice gesture, but you'll see the bill eventually!

As much as we want fancy Wi-Fi, the new deal seems to have a few "blind spots":

• The Drivers: The deal ignores the rising cost of living for drivers. These folks take their breaks on the buses, pay for their own professional licenses, and face penalties for every minor delay. A happy driver makes for a safer ride; an overlooked one... well, let's just say they might not wait that extra three seconds for you to reach the door.

• The Owners: By keeping the fare subsidized and strictly controlled, the city limits the ability of bus owners to function as true businesses. Without enough revenue, they can't hire analysts to optimize routes, engineers to improve digital tools or even specialized professionals for desk operations which are also necessary.

The most significant change is the integration of the Tranvia and Bus cards. Soon, you’ll only need one card. The catch? To get one, you’ll need to link it to your National ID or Passport.

While convenient, this allows the municipality to monitor exactly who is hopping on which bus and when. It’s great for logistics, but it also means they can deactivate an individual’s card with a single click. It’s a bit more "Big Brother" than most of us expected when we just wanted to get to the Mercado.

Despite the "disingenuous" nature of some of these political moves, the return of rain to the reservoirs and the arrival of color-coded signs are genuine steps forward.

We are currently working on a new advanced guide to navigating Cuenca’s public transit (coming soon), where we’ll dive deeper into these new color boards and share insider tips on how to ensure the driver actually sees you standing there!

Until then, keep your card charged, your eyes on the (colored) signs, and remember: in Cuenca, the journey is just as interesting as the destination—especially if you accidentally get on the wrong bus.

Sources

• Municipality of Cuenca: Council Approves Reforms to Improve Urban Transportation

• Municipality of Cuenca: Official Resolution for Public Transportation Fare Adjustment

• El Mercurio: Bus Routes in Cuenca to be Identified by Colors

• Metro Ecuador: Cuenca Identifies Bus Routes by Colors to Facilitate Transit Use

• Telerama: Implementation of Color Identification in Urban Buses for Better Service

• Video Update: Visual Guide to the New Transit Changes