Bus strike: The UTA will decide this Wednesday whether there will be a bus strike in Buenos Aires.

The Union of Tram Workers (UTA) will decide tomorrow, Wednesday, April 30, starting at 11 a.m., whether there will be a new bus strike in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) , given the limited progress in collective bargaining negotiations since March 7, when the State ordered compulsory conciliation.

The crisis stems from the already chronic underfunding of the bus system, a result of the fares and subsidies set by the national government.

The chambers representing business leaders offered an extraordinary bonus , not of a regular or customary nature, of $40,000 to be paid on May 26 ; $50,000 on June 16 ; and another $70,000 on July 15 , with a new base salary of $1,270,000 for each driver.

The companies claim they have a 40% deficit in their costs compared to what they receive from passengers and the state.

The business chambers' proposal, which amounts to less than a 1% monthly increase —against an inflation rate of around 3% to 4%—was described as a "violation of dignity" by the UTA (United Nations Union).

According to data from the Bondi Index, compiled by the Argentine Association of Motor Transport Entrepreneurs (AAETA, part of the Metropol group), the actual ticket price without subsidies was $1,596.40 in March, but users paid a minimum of $371.13—and a lower average, due to the effect of bonuses when multiple trips are combined—while companies received a total of $973.76.