The only bus line that connects Leap and Punta del Estetwo major tourist centers of Uruguay, without going through Montevideo, It had a record number of passengers during December, with more than 6,000 people using the service.
The event was described as “historic” by the coordinator of the Metropolitan Area of the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP), Joselo Hernández, through their social networks. According to the official, about 6,000 people chose this route during the last month of the year, which represented an increase of 20% compared to passengers in December 2022.
During December 2021, when the line began operating, the number of people who chose the service had been barely 3,000, which demonstrates the “growth “significant in demand”as Hernández pointed out.
“Since December 1, the line has had a daily shift to which up to five additional units have had to be added at the same time,” said the MTOP leader, adding that another service was added on Fridays due to the high demand for tickets.
This is good news not only for the MTOP, which opted for this project that began in 2017 since the Departmental Board of Canelones; but also for the Ministry of Tourism, while it is a sign of a good movement internally, a key pillar for the summer season projected by the portfolio he directs Tabare Viera.
What is the service between Punta del Este and Salto like?
The bus line has a daily service offered by the companies Tourism and Chadre, and allows you not to have to travel from Maldonado or Salto to the capital to connect the two departments, which also generates savings in both time and money. In that sense, traveling Punta del Este to Montevideo costs 440 pesos and from Montevideo to Salto, 1,354 pesos, which generates a total of 1,794 pesos. On the other hand, using this direct service costs 1,742 pesos.
This is where the success of the service lies, according to Hernández. Furthermore, it is “a valuable tool for the internal tourism, both beach in summer and thermal in winter, as well as being able to directly bring new job opportunities to residents of the center of the country and the department of Cannelloni”, highlighted the coordinator of the MTOP Metropolitan Area.
The route passes through Salto, Paysandú, Young, Trinidad, Durazno, Florida, continues along routes 12, San Ramón, Tala, Migues, and continues along routes 80, 8, 9 and 37 until reaching Piriápolis, Maldonado and Punta del Este.
The trip—going directly or passing through Montevideo—has almost the same duration, about 9 hours, although traveling directly avoids the hassle of making combinations.
Source: Ambito
