The mayor of Huechuraba, Maximiliano Luksic, warned that the Bicentenario Cable Car could begin operating without integration into Santiago's public transport network. If that happens, passengers would be unable to pay with the Bip! card, and each leg would cost more than a thousand pesos.
According to T13, the mayor raised his complaint in a letter to the editor published in El Mercurio, titled "The cable car is coming, the fare is not". He also shared it on X on October 9.
The project will link Huechuraba and Providencia in about 13 minutes. According to El Periodista, it will have a route of approximately 3.4 kilometers, three stations and 121 cabins accommodating up to 10 people each. It will connect Providencia, Metropolitan Park and the Ciudad Empresarial area. It is scheduled to begin operating in early 2027.
The impact on users is direct. Luksic said there would be no reduced fares for students or older people. Without integration into the system, there would also be no bus routes designed to connect with the cable car.
The mayor gave an example: a woman from La Pincoya who works in Las Condes could save an hour a day by taking the cable car. "She will not, because she would have to pay two thousand pesos more each day", he wrote.
Luksic said officials from different governments had committed to integration. He recalled that a year ago, Deputy Carlos Cuadrado accused him of stirring up "artificial controversies" because, according to the deputy, integration was assured. "Today, nothing is assured," the mayor replied. He added that, in discussions with the government, the indication he has received is that the cable car will not be integrated. The source includes no response from the executive branch or the deputy.
Authorities have reported that the service will use SONDA Pay, a platform that will centralize payments, validators, fares, access and monitoring. It includes turnstiles, gates for people with reduced mobility, self-service kiosks and top-up equipment. The available information does not specify whether that system will be compatible with Bip!.
Funding is another part of the complaint. According to Luksic, the state already contractually guarantees the concession's revenue for 23 years. "Public money is already committed; all that is missing is the decision to make it serve as transport rather than as a ride for those who can afford it," he said.
The mayor also warned that if the country's first urban cable car operates as a tourist attraction, it could complicate similar projects in cities with hills such as Valparaíso, Antofagasta and Concepción.
Luksic called on President José Antonio Kast's government to resolve the issue during the debate on the 2027 Budget, which is currently under consideration. "We ask the government to make the decision and communicate it to the public," he concluded.
