Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, deals with big challenges in urban public transport. The trains and the subway have had continuous funding problems for years, because operators were public companies and the political oscillations affected their performances. Consequently, private buses fill all the supply gaps and the additional needs of an ever growing population. But now, these conditions are no more `sustainable'. The bus network almost attained its capacity and people want better services. Both the state and the city of Rio de Janeiro attempt to correct the existing situation. The state is in a process of a huge rail network improvement programme, and the city is concentrating on the bus network reorganization. This paper presents a detailed report and an evaluation of the perspectives of these experiences. (A) The French title of the paper is: "Les nouveaux enjeux du transport public urbain à Rio de Janeiro".
Abstract