Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Public transport is still Quito’s main way to move, but new data show riders shifting toward private options. Around 64% of Quito residents still use public transport, while apps, taxis and motorcycles are gaining ground because of safety, comfort and service concerns.
Tumbaco residents and Quito firefighters are watching the dry season closely after serious fire emergencies between 2023 and 2025. Forest fires have fallen in the urban Tumbaco sector, but waste burning remains a persistent risk, with 73 waste-burn events in 2025 and 19 already counted in 2026.
Quito councilman Wilson Merino says taxpayers have reported failures and interruptions in the municipal patent-payment platform just as the filing calendar begins. The concern is practical: once the deadline tied to the ninth RUC digit passes, the system automatically generates late-payment surcharges.
Registro Civil users in Quito can handle several certificates fully online, while first cédulas and passports still require in-person biometrics or issuance steps. Online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Quito's Property Registry says payment orders for 20 registry procedures and certificates can now be generated automatically in about 20 minutes. The same step previously took 24 to 48 hours, and payment orders are valid for eight days.
Quito drivers can request compensation when a vehicle is damaged by potholes or municipal work, using an EPMMOP process that requires photos, a traffic report and repair documentation. The city’s pothole damage is estimated at $20 million to $30 million a year.
Quito remains under a rain and storm alert from 17:00 on June 7 until 10:00 on June 10. Municipal monitoring is focused on areas at risk of flooding and landslides, including sectors in Calderon, Quitumbe, Tumbaco and Los Chillos.
Quito's Mobility Commission begins debate on a bus-fare ordinance that would set a 40-cent urban fare and 45-cent fare for electric or low-emission buses. The city's prior agreement keeps the 35-cent fare through 2026 with municipal compensation to operators.
Primicias reports Epmaps completed maintenance work that caused a water cut in 39 barrios of Alangasi, Amaguana, Conocoto and Guangopolo. Service may normalize progressively through the early hours of June 5.
El Universo reports Solca Quito received more than 18,000 oncology medicines from Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health. The donation includes 17 essential medicine types and is expected to benefit 130 patients in the first half of 2026.
Primicias reports Quito will suspend the Paseo Dominical on May 31 because the Quito 15K and 21K races overlap with several sections of the route. The races start in south Quito and finish at Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa.
Primicias reports Quito's AMT will exonerate the calendar fine for vehicles with license plates ending in 4 after ANT and municipal system failures. Owners can complete technical review and matriculation through November 2026 without that sanction.
