More Than 700 Panama Metro Buses Vandalized In Two Years -

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) Despite calls from Mi Bus authorities and user leaders to put an end to vandalism, this bad practice continues. Between 2024 and 2025, 751 acts of vandalism against Metrobuses were recorded. This year alone, 359 cases have been reported, and the year isn't even over yet. So far in 2025, $65,000 has been spent on glass repairs alone. Residents like Raisa Ortega, a resident of Pedregal, expressed their concern about these incidents.“We don't understand why they're affecting the few buses that are running,” Ortega said, calling on authorities to implement stricter measures to prevent this behavior, which affects and endangers passengers and drivers.

Although this year's vandalism cases are lower than in 2024, which ended with 392 incidents, Mi Bus authorities reiterate that the number is still worrying, and that each vandalized bus is taken out of service while repairs are carried out. From 2020 to October 2024, the company recorded 1,498 acts of vandalism. The areas with the highest frequency of these incidents are El Chorrillo, Chilibre, and the Northern Corridor. Recently, five Metrobuses were vandalized in Chilibre. Luis Torres, spokesperson for the National Association of Public Transportation Users, indicated that this misconduct could be related to the illegal transportation services operating in certain areas of the country.

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He explained that the attackers throw stones while passengers and drivers are inside the buses, with the aim of preventing them from traveling through certain areas. Therefore, Torres asked the government to pay attention to the locations where these incidents occur and reminded those behind these actions that these buses belong to the people and must be cared for.“They are not only vandalizing a company, they are affecting all the users,” he stated. For her part, Itzel Camargo, a leader of the users, is demanding stricter laws to protect state property and calling for a crackdown on those responsible.

Although the number of incidents has decreased, Camargo points out that it is unacceptable for so many acts of vandalism to continue, as they directly affect users and public services. Torres and Camargo agree that public transportation must be protected and emphasize the urgent need for more Metrobuses in service. In September, only 1,100 units were operating in the capital and San Miguelito, a number that, according to the leaders, has increased but remains insufficient to meet demand.

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