FREE-FARE POLICY AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROMOTION: ITINERARY AND INITIAL REFLECTIONS

Abstract

In order to indicate interfaces between the Zero-Fare (ZF) public transport policy and the promotion of physical activity (PA), based on a broader view of health, the text contextualizes the ZF policy and PA in Brazil, discussing the circumstances of PA practiced as a commute, which can be optional or necessary. Recognizing the concern of readers of a newspaper article about the impacts of ZF on the reduction of commuting PA, based on the "PA paradox", reflections are made on its associations with direct and indirect benefits to people's health, so that public policies can prioritize, in addition to free time, commuting PA that is optional, with adequate safety and infrastructure. Alongside the points of convergence, considerations are also given to the consolidation of these interfaces, observing different contextual barriers. ZF is a policy that, in addition to directly and indirectly guaranteeing rights, also dialogues with the PA promotion, based on a broader vision of health. Contrary to the hegemonic model of financing public transportation, which is exclusionary, we understand that the ZF is an important achievement in the field of citizenship and should not be seen as an "enemy" of the PA practice.