Alexandre Gomes Da Cruz took the bus with his wife and two kids to Olympic Park on Wednesday.
It was a big deal for the Rio native, because they own a car. If you own a car in the city, you use it.
Now that the public transportation has been upgraded, Gomes Da Cruz can confidently leave the automobile at home.
“Before the Games, I wasn’t sure if it would be a good thing for the city or the country,” he said, outside the food outlets. “But after the Olympics, and now at the Paralympics, we are very happy about being able to have the Games here.
“We were surprised about how things are working so well here in Rio. We took the public transportation because it is working so well.
“At the end of the day, we really like hosting the Games here and definitely believe it was a good thing in the city.”
Hosting the Games allowed Rio to substantially improve its transit system, which may be the strongest legacy left behind.
The notoriously-congested city has seen relief since transportation plans were put into action. The BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) has opened up three new lines, connecting nearly all parts of the city and allowing many more Cariocas access to transit.