"Thousands of public transport users were left stranded on Wednesday across Lima and Callao as transport workers launched a nationwide strike protesting escalating violence that has killed dozens of drivers this year. Footage shows passengers waiting for several hours at bus stops, walking several blocks and scrambling for a place on the scarce transport. Striking drivers demonstrate holding Peruvian flags and chanting: 'Not one more dead' as police monitor the area and scuffle with transport workers. "[We are carrying out] this strike because we truly want the state to act as it should and to listen to us, public transport drivers, who are the ones being killed," explained Elmer Mercado, a transport leader. "We remain standing in this struggle, we have no benefits, and on top of that, they keep killing us, they keep murdering us. So how long are we going to tolerate this?" he stressed. The strike, called by United Transport and the Coordinator of Urban Transport Companies (CTU), led to the suspension of more than 20,000 vehicles in protest against murders, extortion, and violence that left 56 drivers dead and more than 60 armed attacks this year. "In the last month, that is to say this month, just at the start of the year, there have been 25 killed. Of the 50 murders that have occurred, 50 have been drivers, and that is something inadmissible," Mercado proclaimed. He persisted, "And what does that mean? The inoperability, the incapacity of our police, the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office to contain this onslaught of organised crime." The 24-hour 'engine shutdown' strike began at midnight Wednesday, with vehicles remaining parked in garages and at stops, complicating movement as only informal minibuses and taxis remained available, typically at higher fares. Interim President of Peru Jose Jeri met with transport unions in Lima, announcing new regulations to address security concerns. "The issue of two riders on a motorbike, and the professionalisation of public transport drivers. These are the two regulations we are going to sign today and, consequently, tomorrow they should be fully in force," he declared. "The one concerning motorbike riders is a powerful tool so that the police now have the means to automatically intervene when they see two people on a motorbike," the interim president remarked. He indicated that Law No 32490, establishing extraordinary measures against extortion and contract killings in public transport, will be approved by the Council of Ministers no later than January 17 and published the following day in the Official Peruvian Gazette."