Transwolff Bus Workers Strike Hits 267,000 Passengers in São Paulo’s South Zone; City Calls Stoppage Illegal

Employees of the bus company Transwolff walked off the job in the early hours of Monday (19), halting lines in lot D10 in São Paulo’s South Zone. According to the city, through the Municipal Mobility and Transport Department (SMT) and SPTrans, the stoppage affects about 267,000 passengers. The workers allege delays in FGTS (severance fund) deposits and other labor rights. The city calls the action illegal, because the required 72-hour notice to the public was not given, and says the part under SPTrans’ responsibility is up to date. To serve passengers, it activated the Paese emergency plan on 34 lines.

What is happening

Around 5 a.m., SPTrans was already confirming delays at at least one garage. Passengers reported lines at bus stops in Grajaú and a lack of buses on routes in the area, according to Diário do Transporte and Via Trolebus. Transwolff is the third-largest bus company in the capital, with a reference fleet of 1,206 vehicles and 111 lines in the South Zone. The reports consulted gave no estimate for a return to normal.

What the workers say

The employees allege delays in FGTS deposits and other labor rights, according to Diário do Transporte. Metrópoles reports that the group is asking for better working conditions. The city’s statement does not include the workers’ version or the reasons they gave for the stoppage, according to Via Trolebus.

What the city and SPTrans say

• The stoppage is illegal, because the law requires 72 hours’ notice to the public for work stoppages in essential services such as public transit.
• SPTrans has managed and operated the lines in lots D10 and D11 since the contract with the former Transwolff was terminated.
• According to the city, SPTrans meets all employees’ labor rights, and salaries and benefits are up to date.
• On health insurance, the bidding process to hire a provider is under way.
• INSS and FGTS deposits are being made in full by SPTrans, in court, pending a ruling from the judiciary.
• The Paese, an emergency support plan among companies, was activated to serve 34 South Zone lines.

Why Transwolff is under intervention

The company has been under city intervention since April 2024, when São Paulo’s state prosecutors launched Operation Fim da Linha, which investigates infiltration of the PCC criminal group in the city’s public transit. On December 4, 2025, the city declared the termination of Transwolff’s contracts, a decision that is also being disputed in court.

Sancetur gave up on taking over the lines, and the city is working on a new bid for the South Zone, with a proposal sent to the Court of Accounts in June 2026, according to Diário do Transporte. The operation has been in transition for more than two years, and the impasse also involves owners of vehicles from the former Cooperpam cooperative.

How to get around

Real-time information on lines is available on SPTrans’ Olho Vivo. In the Grajaú area, one alternative is ViaMobilidade’s Line 9-Emerald, whose Grajaú station has access to the bus terminal.

This article will be updated as there are developments in the strike. Information from Diário do Transporte, Metrópoles, Via Trolebus and Folha de Curitiba.