Protests Affecting Transportation in Santiago, Chile

An increase in the cost of metro and bus fares resulted in more than a week of mass fare evasion mainly by schoolchildren and students jumping barriers and forcing through gates. These incidents have spread across the city over the larger issue of rising prices and the cost of living. There are reports of vandalism, pulling of emergency brakes, some metro stations being closed or blocked, and clashes with police who have responded with batons and tear gas in some areas. There are also reports of calls for groups to arrive in large numbers at various metro stations and avoid paying. One such protest has been called for the Los Dominicos Metro Station on Monday, 21 October.

Advice

The demonstrations are spontaneous and there is no way to predict the next location until it is posted on social media. These sorts of protests are expected to continue throughout the coming week. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of police in Santiago. If in Santiago, be prepared for spontaneous travel disruption and possible violence.