bus lines have come into play over the last few years, connecting niterói and săo gonçalo, so too the lakes region and north fluminense. subsequently conerj witnessed a drop in passenger numbers and perhaps, as a result, has not had the funds to invest in modernization of the service. however, in 1998 conerj was made private under the control of consórcio barcas s. a, which helped the company's cause, as it was granted the freedom to operate its regular lines for a period of 25 years, at the end of which the company will be allowed to renew its license.
