Mexico City’s Trolleybus Workers Took on Austerity and Won

The 1,970 rail, trolleybus, and cable car workers who make Mexico City run could go out on strike as soon as March 13.

Their union, the Tram Workers Alliance of Mexico (Alianza de Tranviarios de México, ATM), secured vital investments in green transportation and saved hundreds of jobs in a 2016 “Save the Trolleybus” campaign that brought public transit users into their funding fight.

Now workers want the uniforms and safety equipment that they’re owed
under their contract but haven’t received in three years, as well as the tools they need to do their jobs: hydraulic jacks, pliers, and wrenches.

They also want more training. The city invested in a fleet of new electric trolleybuses following the “Save the Trolleybus” campaign, but many workers haven’t been trained in their upkeep. And they want system maintenance improvements—for example, staff mechanics have no means of re-treading tires as they wear down.

“We’re not asking for opulence,” said Jorge Luis Peña González, who maintains the overhead wires that power trolleybuses and trains. “We’re not asking for a jacuzzi in every bathroom. Just what’s fair: dignified work, dignified pay, a job where we receive the materials and equipment necessary to do our work.”

From its inception in 1900, Mexico City’s mass transit system has been an emblem of progress. Tram lines played an integral role in the growth of what is now the largest city in North America. As new lines were established, neighborhoods settled around them.

Over time, those trams were replaced with a network of electric trolleybuses, cable cars, and a light rail line that serves 2.5 million passengers a day, all without generating emissions—essential in what 30 years ago was known as the most polluted city in the world. And it does all that for under 50 cents per ride. Seniors ride free.

SEWING ON REFLECTORS

The union had originally set a strike date of January 21, but extended the deadline to February 21 after the employer, Servicios de Transportes Eléctricos (STE, a publicly owned transport authority), was ordered to bargain.

The deadline was extended again to March 13 at the request of Mexico City’s Secretary of Finance, following movement at the bargaining table. Workers won the swift payment of a 3.5 percent raise, which had been agreed to in their 2024 contract, but which STE had refused to pay to many of the low-paid workers. They will now see that raise, along with accrued back pay, by the end of March.

Essential supplies are inconsistently supplied. “There are times when because of a single [missing] screw, the overhead wires aren’t functional,” González said. Some workers only have one fire-resistant uniform, despite working with live wires on a regular basis.

“So you get workers looking for a uniform so they can work. At night, those of us doing maintenance work have a beige uniform. It’s not that it’s completely visible, but it helps you out at night. We’re sewing on reflectors on the arms and legs so they can see us at night.”

Héctor Cortés Silva helps maintain the trolleybus antennas, which connect to overhead power lines. That involves climbing as high as 130 feet in the air, navigating strong winds that make the antennas move haphazardly. “If you make a minor mistake, it can be fatal,” he said. He relies on his safety belt lanyard, a strap that secures him to an anchor point, but there aren’t always enough of the second line of protection: safety lifelines, which would catch him if the harness failed.

‘SAVE THE TROLLEYBUS’

2015 was a time of crisis for the union, as a dissident group attempted to oust then-president Benito Bahena y Lome, forcing him to resign under threat of violence. Many suspect the ouster was orchestrated by transport authority boss Eduardo Venadero. But Bahena y Lome was ultimately reinstated.

Meanwhile the city had been disinvesting in the transit system, leading to insufficient maintenance and a dwindling fleet. By 2016, only 210 of 350 trolleybuses were operational. Between 1987 and 2018, trolleybus lines were slashed from 30 to eight.

Mexico City’s government soon proposed replacing its aging trolleybus fleet with battery-powered buses. But these would have been both more expensive and less eco-friendly, since the country had no means of recycling the batteries.

The plan also put workers’ jobs at risk. González said a shift to battery-powered buses would have eliminated his work entirely. “It was a tense time,” said Violeta Sofia Méndez Mosqueda, a phone operator who routes incoming calls for the transit authority.

Out of that crisis emerged “Save the Trolleybus,” a public pressure campaign that brought transit riders and environmentalists into the union’s funding fight.

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The Zero Emissions Coalition, which included Bicitekas (which advocates for bike-friendly infrastructure) and Los Mosquitos (The Mosquitoes, a bike taxi cooperative) surveyed commuters. They found that many preferred green transit, yet often opted to drive or take a taxi because they were faster.

They also found that 81 percent of frequent riders relied on the trolleybus. Many were concerned about the city’s poor air quality and recognized vehicle emissions as a crucial contributor.

Mosqueda knew the trolleybus network was worth fighting for: “It produces zero emissions. It transports thousands of people throughout the city. And beyond all that, it’s safe,” she said.

Besides, “I think riders feel nostalgic,” she said, since the trolleybuses emerged from Mexico City’s emblematic tram system. “Our parents and grandparents travelled through the city in this beautiful way. On top of being safe and climate-friendly, it’s rooted in tradition.”

“Even though we had units that were more than 40 years old, people still felt good about the service,” González said. “People flyered and put on information sessions. The role of riders was really indispensable."

“Imagine that Mexico’s historic center is a greenhouse,” said Miguel Maximiliando Durán, president of Los Mosquitos. “You hook up… several hoses to that greenhouse, with machines that are burning gasoline, and that smoke ends up inside that greenhouse. That’s basically Mexico City’s historic center.” Air pollution causes about 9,000 deaths per year in Mexico City, and car emissions are a significant contributor.

Los Mosquitos sprang into action. “The majority of people in this city rely on public transit,” says Durán, “which gave us the push to say, ‘We have to defend the trolleybus,’ which has for years been not just an eco-friendly means of transportation, but also one of the city’s most affordable options.”

Claudia Sheinbaum, then the incoming Head of Government of Mexico City under Mexico’s left MORENA party, campaigned on the issue and pledged to invest in the trolleybus system in her inauguration speech. Within a year, units began arriving.

By 2024, when Sheinbaum became Mexico’s president, the city had a fleet of 500 new trolleybuses and had created a new trolleybus line and a (soon to be connecting) cable car network.

“I think people want clean transport that’s accessible and convenient,” said Martha Beatriz Merlos Aguilar, an executive assistant who helps process employment letters and payroll. “I think the routes we have are strategic. They get a lot of use. Over time, lines were cut, and there are people who to this day keep asking for certain routes to be reactivated. I think people love it, and that’s why they supported it.”

UNION BOXING CLASSES

As the strike date approaches, the Tram Workers Alliance is well positioned to achieve its demands. The union is operating under a city government that, unlike in previous years before MORENA took power, is not hellbent on privatizing the transit system—that instead sees it as a public good.

The union is mounting a visible, escalating campaign. In January, members marched from union headquarters to the city’s labor courts and pledged to strike if needed. They hung a towering 10-foot banner decrying STE’s violation of their collective bargaining agreement.

The 2026 World Cup, whose opening match will be held in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium), also offers leverage: 5.5 million tourists are expected to visit the city during the tournament. To prepare for this surge in demand, the city has pledged $348 million towards public transit improvements centered around the commute to Azteca Stadium.

The ATM has built a strong union culture partly through social events, from soccer leagues and kids’ summer camp to religious gatherings and altar decorating for Day of the Dead. “They’re really thorough,” said Aguilar, who recently began attending the union’s boxing classes. “They help with nutrition, they teach you the necessary exercises… You get to meet people from other areas of work who maybe you haven’t seen before.”

This interaction fosters solidarity. “I don’t care what area you work in, what shift you’re on, where you come from,” González said. “That camaraderie, it’s essential.”

The “Save the Trolleybus” campaign similarly brought organizations together, creating lasting bonds. “It’s about having those alliances, and that commitment to the common good,” Aguilar said. “Coalitions will always have a stronger fight if they have a shared concept of what they want to win, what they want to protect.”