Brawl breaks out over tour bus in Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, the remains of a 15th-century Inca city, is Peru’s most popular tourist destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, a recent controversy over the buses transporting tourists to the mountaintop attraction has led to the evacuation of about 1,400 stranded tourists.

Cristian Alberto Caballero Chacón is the operations director of the Consettur bus company, which has transported about 4,500 people a day from the local town of Aguascalientes to Machu Picchu for the past 30 years.

The journey takes 20 minutes and the only option is a difficult, steep, two-hour walk.

He acknowledged that there had been “some conflict between people from different communities here” over the past few months.

The conflict revolves around Consettur losing a license to a rival bus company in this remote part of Peru, where unless you want to hike over the Andes, the only mode of transportation is public transportation.

To reach Machu Picchu without walking, visitors must first take a train to Aguascalientes, a two- to three-and-a-half-hour journey. Then transfer to a bus to the last stop.

Back in September, local protesters angry that it was being replaced due to an inadequate tender process blocked the railway line to Aguascalientes with rocks.

This resulted in Peruvian authorities having to clear the tracks and evacuate tourists via special trains.

Some locals who spoke on condition of anonymity said protesters were unhappy with Consettur’s monopoly on the lucrative bus service and that its status as sole supplier would be transferred to a new company, San Antonio de Torontoy. Return bus tickets cost $24 (£18) for foreigners and $15 for Peruvians.

Although Consettur’s license expired in September, it continues to operate its buses. The San Antonio-Toronto game has not yet started due to legal challenges.

It’s a complicated situation involving people from different local communities wanting a piece of the bus revenue, but Mr Caballero is adamant that Consettur is not a monopoly.

“The owners who have been running this business for the past 30 years are people from here,” he said. “This is not a monopoly. Consettur is made up of 12 different companies and different partners.”

These partners include the local district council, which owns 38% of Consettur.

San Antonio de Torontoy, meanwhile, is located slightly further afield in the wider Urubamba Province.

Australian tourist Annalize Jaksic complained about the cost of the train to Aguas Calientes as a row and legal dispute over the buses intensified. The cheapest round-trip ticket is $140, and a luxury first-class ticket is $2,000.

Speaking in Aguascalientes, she said: “We thought it was a train (all the way to Machu Picchu). We thought if there was more transport to get there, everything would be included because you pay a lot of money for the train.”

Her friend and fellow traveler Todd Callan added that buying tickets to the site was “a nightmare for us.” He said it was difficult to arrange because they didn’t do it through expensive tour guides. Standard adult price for Machu Picchu is $57.

Aguascalientes Mayor Elvis La Torre is also unhappy with the tickets because he says most of the revenue doesn’t stay locally.

“Only 10 percent of the ticket revenue stays in the region. The rest of the money goes to the Ministry of Culture to look after other archaeological sites around Peru and pay salaries.”

He hopes more money will be given to his community and surrounding areas to help improve tourism and fund more projects to help locals. The Culture Ministry was asked for comment.

Outside, on a side street lined with stalls selling tourist souvenirs such as furry alpacas and scarves, Dina Huillca sat on the sidewalk selling roses, tomatoes and mint. She came here from her village and said “more needs to be done for the local community”.

She added: “We don’t have basic services like running water or hospitals and schools need to improve conditions.”

Carlos González is president of the region’s tourism chamber in Cusco, Peru. He would like to see more state oversight of public transportation in Peru.

“We are pushing for the update of the law so that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism can manage all our country’s tourism resources,” he said. “If we don’t have a unified approach to Peru as a destination, we won’t remain competitive in the long term.”

He also hopes to change the visitor experience at Machu Picchu, adding entrances and dividing areas where different types of tourists can gather.

“(For example) spiritual travelers perform meditation rituals in an area,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “Let’s not forget about the younger crowd, who are more inclined to post Tik Toks and Stories on Instagram. They also need a place to do that and enjoy life in a young and fashionable way.”

But he said Peru’s unstable national government makes change difficult. The country has had six different presidents in the past six years.

“I’ve been a leader in the tourism industry for five years and I’ve lost count of how many ministers, deputy ministers and MPs I’ve spoken to.”

Back in Aguascalientes, Mr. Caballero said he was pleased to see Consettur and San Antonio de Toronto operating buses to and from Machu Picchu.

“If they get final approval, we won’t have any problem working with them. We won’t stop them.”