Maringá aims to become an increasingly attractive, sustainable and expanding region. To reach this goal and create opportunities for growth, the city must invest in public transport and manage urban accessibility in a sustainable way.

Founded in 1947, the City of Maringá has a population of 360, 000 inhabitants and is surrounded by a small metropolitan area, with two municipalities, plus seven other within a distance of approximately 40 km. The regional population is around 700 000 inhabitants.

The municipalities of this region rely heavily on Maringá, in particular for health, education, air and ground transportation, shops and other services. Also, given the high price of real estate in Maringá, many workers choose to reside in the surrounding metropolitan region, which causes a significant daily flow of traffic and a very intense urban freight. The average purchasing power of the population in Maringá is above the state and national average and the proportion of vehicles per capita is one of the highest in the country today. This situation is exacerbating the problem of urban mobility and Maringá wants to address this by adopting new measures and encouraging behavioral change. However, as is the case across Brazil, the population of Maringá still treats public transport as a second-rate option that is only for those who can’t afford to buy their own transport.

The city is looking for comfortable, attractive alternative solutions to public transport and local mass metropolitan and regional transportation, including the use of light rail or other modern systems.