Montevideo, Uruguay – The Tres Cruces bus terminal in Montevideo is bracing for a surge in passengers as thousands of Uruguayans prepare to travel to and from the capital for the Christmas holidays.

According to Pablo Saraví, the head of the Tres Cruces control tower, an estimated 420,000 people are expected to travel between Montevideo and other parts of the country during this festive season.

"We've already seen a significant increase in passenger traffic, especially towards the eastern part of the country," Saraví told Subrayado (Channel 10), noting that the summer travel season officially kicked off this past Friday. "Many people are already traveling to spend Christmas with their families in the east."

The terminal is anticipating a busy period, with approximately 15,000 buses scheduled to pass through between now and January 2nd or 3rd. Despite a slight decrease compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, passenger numbers are expected to surpass those of last year by around 2%.

"We're seeing a noticeable increase in bus traffic and passenger numbers," Saraví observed. "The terminal is bustling with activity, and we expect this trend to continue throughout the holiday season."