In the third day of de facto strikes, at least 142 routes through the teeming capital were shut down and there were no immediate prospects of normal transportation resuming soon, Ramirez said.
"Things are getting worse," he said, an assessment shared by Salvadoran news media, which reported a nearly 50% increase overnight in idled bus routes. The city of 1.8 million residents lacks a subway, suburban train network or other alternative for shuttling people to their jobs.
With thousands unable to make their way across the vast city, normal commerce and services were suffering. Prensa Grafica said nearly 1,500 surgeries and medical procedures had to be canceled because of the transportation snarl.