Themes

Transportation

Movement in and out of Brazilian favelas combines the formal public-transport network — metro, BRT, commuter rail, municipal buses — with informal moto-taxis, vans, and other arrangements that fill the last-mile gap.

Transportation in and out of favelas operates at two scales. At the metropolitan scale, residents use the formal public-transport network: municipal buses, BRT corridors, the regional metro, the commuter-rail network (SuperVia in Rio, CPTM in São Paulo), and where they exist, light-rail and ferry connections. At the local scale, the steepness or density of many favelas means the formal network does not penetrate the interior of the community; this last mile is filled by motorcycle taxis (moto-táxis), unlicensed vans (vans or kombis), and a range of informal arrangements.

Motorcycle taxis

Moto-taxis are ubiquitous in larger Brazilian favelas. In hillside Rio communities, they are often the only viable mechanized transport up and down internal streets. In São Paulo, Salvador, and other cities, moto-taxis serve a similar role within particular communities and also as a fast option for crossing congested formal-city streets. The service is organized through local stands (pontos), with set fares to defined destinations and with internal regulation by the moto-taxi associations or, in some areas, by non-state armed actors that have taxed the service.

Vans and kombis

Unlicensed or partially regularized passenger vans are a major component of urban transport in Brazilian metropolitan areas. They operate fixed routes connecting peripheries — including favelas — to commercial centers and metropolitan transit nodes. Fares are typically slightly above municipal bus fares and the service is faster. The Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region's van system has been particularly large; the city of Rio's effort to regulate the sector through Law 3.166/2001 (van regularization) and successors has been ongoing.

In Rio's West Zone, the van and irregular-transport sector has been documented by the 2008 CPI das Milícias and subsequent research as a principal economic activity of militias, which control routes and operators in their territories. This is one of the few transport-economy questions that intersects directly with public-security policy.

Formal public transport

Most major-city favelas are within reasonable distance of formal public-transport access points. Rio's Complexo da Maré is bordered by SuperVia commuter-rail stations; Heliópolis in São Paulo is served by the Sacomã metro station; Aglomerado da Serra in Belo Horizonte connects to the central-city bus network. The BRT TransOlímpica, TransCarioca, and TransBrasil corridors in Rio (built in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympics) substantially expanded West and North Zone connectivity; favela station access varies.

Cable cars

Two large cable-car installations were built in Rio favelas in the 2010s as part of PAC Favelas investments: the Teleférico do Alemão (opened 2011, suspended 2016) and the Teleférico da Providência (operated briefly). Both have been the subject of evaluations of large infrastructure spending in favelas. In Medellín, Colombia, similar cable-car systems became a reference for favela-area mobility investment; the Rio implementations did not achieve comparable sustainability.

Walking and stairs

Within steep favelas, the principal internal transport is walking, on the network of stairways (becos, escadarias) that connect levels of the community. Internal mobility infrastructure includes installed lighting, handrails, and in some communities funicular and elevator installations built under upgrading programs. The funicular in Santa Marta is among the better-known examples.

What is contested

Two questions persist. The first is the appropriate regularization framework for moto-taxis and vans — both essential transport for favela populations and the subject of legitimate safety and regulatory concerns. The second is the place of large cable-car-style installations in favela mobility investment, given the mixed Brazilian record.