Climbing complaints about escalators in the metro: how to make free trips when they do not work?

All, who make their own interpretation of the judicial measure for not complying with it, They have appealed and are now waiting for the judge's decisionAurelio Ammirato, insisting that the first resolution does not apply because it is a sanction that is not firm.

However, they also ignore the fact that Ammirato J., after accepting the objections, ruled that Gallardo's decision remains in effect as long as the appeals are resolved. C & # 39; is to say, People have to travel for free until justice decides otherwise.

"Hundreds of complaints of non-compliance have been filed and documented by various means, the House order must be subject to progressive sanctions," judicial sources said. Infobaewho also knows that "from the Metrovías company, staff had been instructed not to comply with the decision ".

Although this issue is being debated in the courts, pbadengers are the only ones concerned by the poor functioning of these means of elevation and accessibility to the wharves. Immersed in helplessness and uncertainty, their actions are disparate. There are those who – despite the failure of the service- they pay without flinching, those who complain in vain at the ticket office to ask for the money from the trip and those who open the door directly to the turnstiles and pbad without paying.

Sonia Laje, 41, is one of them. Every time you enter the station Juan Manuel de Rosas, on line B, and you check that the stairs that go down to the dock do not work, you go directly without paying for the emergency door. "I do not consult anything because I am governed by the law. No subway employee caught my eye. Moreover, I even make others laugh and pbad them with me. This generates a contagion effect, "the woman told the media.

But unlike her, who can visualize the problem before pbading in front of the SUBE, other pbadengers end up with the scale down at the end of their training. "I left work and took Metro C in the Retiro terminal to get off at San Juan Station." When I tried to get on, I discovered that the escalator was out of order to return the ticket amount, but this was impossible because the ticket windows were closed. We comply with our obligations but Metrovías does not respect the law"he said Infobae Mauro Espósito, 38, also shared a video of what happened in his networks and WhatsApp groups.

"You do not have to go after the employees of the company because they are just as hard-working as we are, so blinds come down from wickets so you do not have to fight with people. , while users are left behind by paying a bad service, "said 36-year-old Carlos Romeau.

Consulted by this means, they indicated from Metrovías that "Sanctions applied do not comply with the law" and they pointed out that the company was complying with all the efficiency indicators stipulated in the Operation and Maintenance Agreement (AOM). "We are in values ​​such as 96% for escalators and 85% for elevators," they defended themselves after an interrogation.

In any case, SBASE – the company of the Government of Buenos Aires which is in charge of the administration of the deputy head – considers that "the decision is not firm since it is a sanction and, as such, has suspensive effect as long as the duration of the appeal lasts. "

Beyond these official explanations, what should a pbadenger who feels damaged in this situation do? You must make the corresponding report in the Court of First Instance No. 3 of Litigation, Administration and Taxation, located at Avenida de Mayo 654 (9th floor), or go to Ombudsman of the city.

"Judge Gallardo's ruling remains in effect beyond appeals and people have the right to free travel. Therefore, if the company refuses to return the ticket money when the escalators or lifts do not work, pbadengers must leave the claim in the complaint book, take a photocopy and go to the Office of the Ombudsman of Buenos Aires. There, we initiate the request so that they compensate them, "he declared. Infobae Federico Conditi, secretary of transport of this organization.

On Twitter, complaints and anger are multiplying. Especially because some stairs do not work for more than a month and others are located in places where pbadenger traffic is more important, such as stations where combinations are made with different subway lines. Added to this is a recent increase in service increased the ticket in January to $ 16.50 and it is expected that it will reach $ 21 in May, with which it would accumulate an annual increase of 180%.

Following the failures detected by the users, the complaints were brought before the Ombudsman's office. "We have started several requests for the company to return the money, but we still have not received any answers for the time needed," Conditi said.

According to data from the Ministry of Urban Development of Buenos Aires, only 36 stations out of 87 have lifting equipment. But of course, everything does not work. As reported by Metrovías on February 28, there is 32 escalators damaged in 23 stations.

The line more engaged is B, with 10 steps that do not work in 5 stations (Rosas, Echeverria, Tronador, Pueyrredón and Carlos Gardel), followed by the line H, with 6 steps in 5 stations (Santa Fe, Eleven, hospitals, Parque Patricios and Inclan)

With 5 steps out of service each, lines A (Flores, Congreso, Acoyte and Sáenz Peña) and D (Serment, Carranza and Callao) make accessibility difficult in 7 stations. While in line C, there are 3 who do not work in 3 stations (Santa Fe, Constitución and Diagonal Norte), as in E (Pichincha, Urquiza, José María Moreno).

Faced with this situation, Metrovías indicated that the stairs did not work for three reasons: mechanical problems, electrical problems and force majeure (lack of spare parts). And at the date of the date, they do not have the approximate time of commissioning.