Lula campaign seeks arrest of São Paulo transit officials over bus shortage

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's campaign requested the arrest of São Paulo's mobility secretary and SPTrans president on Sunday for allegedly violating a court order requiring 100% of the bus fleet to operate during the presidential runoff. The petition filed by the PT-led coalition claims only 9,892 of 13,790 buses were running as of 1:20 p.m., leaving 3,898 in garages, which it says hindered voter travel. It also requests immediate fleet release, a $1 million hourly fine for non-compliance, and police presence at bus depots. The court order from Saturday mandated full weekday service and set a personal fine of $100,000 for Mayor Ricardo Nunes and the SPTrans chief. The city said it notified bus companies of the requirement, while the targeted officials had not responded to requests for comment.