Dario Hidalgo, PhDAileen Carrigan, MUP

December 14th, 2010

1

Modernizing Public Transport: Lessons

Learned from Bus Reforms in Latin

America and Asia

http://www.embarq.org/en/modernizing-

public-transportation

Projects with very different scope

5

One corridor Several corridors

Feeder lines

Route reorganization

of the whole city

No Inte

gra

tion

Inte

gra

tion

Metrobús – Mexico (1, 2)

BRT – Beijing (1, 2, 3)

TransMilenio - Bogotá

Metrovía - Guayaquil

Jakarta (1, 2, 3)

Quito (Trole, Ecovía, North)

Transantiago

Interligado – Sao PauloMegabús - Pereira

RIT - Curitiba

Rea Vaya -Johannesburg

Janmarg – Ahmedabad

Istanbul, Turkey

Optibus – Leon, Guanajuato

Transmetro – Guatemala

Metropolitano - Lima

BRT - Guanzhou

Macrobús - Guadalajara MIO - Cali

Metrolínea- BucaramangaTransmetro - Barranquilla

Reviewed

All the reviewed systems include BRT

components

6

Exclusive bus

lanes

Large buses with

multiple doors

Stations with prepayment

and level access

Centralized

control

Distinctive

image

Project focus: structural change in

transit provision, not just to build and

operate BRT corridors

Traditional Operation* Transformed Operation

Private operators or associations

under permits or concessions, with

weak supervision by government

New private companies under

contracts and with strong

supervision of government

(new agencies)

* Not applicable to Beijing, Ahmedabad Sao Paulo

Traditional Operation* Transformed Operation

Competition in the market

(“guerra del centavo” penny war)

Competition for the market

(bidding process)

or consolidation of existing

operators (direct negotiation with of

new contracts/concessions)

* Not aplicable to Beijing, Ahmedabad, partial in Sao Paulo

Diverse Sizes

(2009)

Varied throughput

(2009)

Commercial speed

(2009)

Operational productivity

(2009)

Capital productivity

(2009)

Capital Cost

(2009)

User Fares

(2009)

Common issues in Planning

• Insufficient funding for studies and design

• Lack of experience with BRT (staff and local consultants)

• Implementation focus, not adequate preparation

• Low user fares – tight financial planning

• Local implementation teams outside existing bureaucracy (latter staff of new agencies)

19

Trinary Road System-Curitiba

Trolebús en el Centro Histórico - Quito

Fo

to: U

RB

S,

20

00

Fo

to: D

. H

ida

lgo

20

06

Decision Processes

• Political will and leadership at the top level fast implementation

• Need for regulatory and instutional changes (creation of new agencies)

• Funding from external or new sources

20

Northwestern Terminal – León, México

Metrobús Insurgentes – México DF

Fo

to: D

. H

ida

lgo

20

06

Fo

to: D

. H

ida

lgo

20

06

Rushed implementation – most difficulties

solved within few weeks

• Incomplete infrastructure and fare collection and control systems

• Lack of training for bus operators

• Insufficient user education

• Public protests

21

Fo

to: J. E

rnst 2

00

5

Jakarta

Beijing BRT

Fo

to: D

. H

ida

lgo

20

06

Common operational concerns

• High occupancy levels

• Long waiting times for feeder services

• Road surface maintenance

• Pick-pocketing

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The main structural problems are institutional

or regulatory

• User fares are defined after political negotiations – absence of

operational subsidies - financial stress

• Expansion is difficult after initial lines

– Opposition from existing operators

– Lack of political priority and funding for infrastructure

• Lack of dedicated funding for maintenance

• Lack of integration with normal bus services (except Santiago, which

suffered from profound planning and implementation difficulties)

23

Fotos: D. Hidalgo 2006, 2007

Megabús – Pereira Metrovía - Guayaquil Transantiago - Santiago

Despite issues, most systems have been

succesful

• Quality and performance are better than in the systems they replaced

• Main achievement: travel time reduction and increased safety and reliability

– Efficiency gains resulted in reduced energy consumption and decreased pollutant emissions

– Improved urban environments

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Filename/RPS Number

What Went Wrong

• Rushed implementation – several components

incomplete

• Very tight financial planning – non technical user fares

• Very high occupancy levels (160 pax/bus standard for

articulated buses is not accepted by the users)

• Early deterioriation of infrastructure (lack of road surface

reinforcement or problems in design/construction)

• Implementation of fare collection systems requires

longer time tables and very tight supervision

• Insufficient user education

Common problems

Recommendations

• Planning

• Decision process

• Type of implementation

• Implementation process

• Design and operation

• Structural issues

• Further studies

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¡Muchas Gracias!