Transit reform in Bogota Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, through the example of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Presented at the World Bank Sustainable Development Network “Transport Days” on Feb. 27, 2013 by Dario Hidalgo, PhD, Director Research and Practice, EMBARQ.

1. Public transport reform in Latin America!
! Presented at the World Bank Sustainable Development
Network “Transport Days” on Feb. 27, 2013!
! Dario Hidalgo, PhD!
! Director Research and Practice!
! EMBARQ!
EMBARQ helps cities make sustainable transport a reality.!

2. From “The War of the Penny”

3. To “Individual Commuter Pain”

4. Huge difficulties, e.g. Bogotá
! Congestion – 64.8 min per trip, ~ 6.96 million
hours lost per day ~ USD $3.9 billion per year
! Air Pollution ~500 premature deaths per year
! Road Un-safety – 500 deaths, 3,000 severely
injured y 18,000 injured per year
! Physical Inactivity – 13.5% between 18 and
64 years old are overweight

5. But integrated policies for “Avoid-
Shift-Improve” over the last 15 years
Filename/RPS Number

6. With remarkable impact on modal
Distribución por modos de viaje
share and externalities
Fuente: Encuesta Anual “Bogotá ¿Cómo Vamos?”

7. Key Component of the Strategy:
Public Transport Reform

8. Structural change in transit provision, not
just building and operating BRT corridors
Traditional Operation Transformed Operation
New private companies
Individual private operators managing bus fleet under
affiliated to companies with concession contracts and
route permits and very weak with strong supervision of
supervision by government government
(through new agencies)

9. Traditional Operation Transformed Operation
Competition for the market
Competition in the market
(bidding process with priority
(“guerra del centavo” penny for the existing private
war) operators)

10. Bogotá was a tipping point – sparked “global”
transit reform!
25! 150!
2010: Guangzhou, Hefei, Yancheng, Zaozhuang – China;!
Jaipur - Índia; Bangkok - Tailândia; East London Transit
– UK; Barranquilla, Bucaramanga – Colômbia;! 125!
Cumulative Number of Cities!
20!
Ecatepec- México; Lima - Peru; Brampton – Canadá; …!
100!
New Cities!
15!
75!
2000: Bogotá
10! (TransMilenio),
Colombia! 50!
5!
1974: Curitiba! 25!
0! 0!
1970! 1975! 1980! 1985! 1990! 1995! 2000! 2005! 2010!
source: BRTdata.org, January, 2013!

11. Six Cities in Colombia !

12. http://www.metroenbogota.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/transmilenio-hasta-el-aeropuerto-el-doraro.jpg
Portal Eldorado Troncal Calle 26
Terminal – Opened June 2012

13. 2003 2005 2008 2009 2011 2012
Optibus +Metobus + Metrobus +Macrobus +Mexibus + Metrbus
Leon, Insurgentes Insurgentes Sur Guadalajara Mexico State Line 4
Guanajuatio Mexico DF
Length: 128 km Length: 156 km
Length: 26 km Length: 46 km Length: 55 km Length: 92 km Fleet: 472 Fleet: 526
Fleet: 61 Fleet: 156 Fleet: 216 Fleet: 330
1,164,000
1,114,000 Pax/día
814,000 Pax/día
Pax/día
552,000
497,000 Pax/día
Pax/día
237,000
Pax/día
Evolution of Bus Systems in México

14. Metrobus Line 4 – Opened April 2012
Photo:
CTS
EMBARQ
Mexico

15. 31 Cities in Brazil with BRT and Bus Corridors
Belo Horizonte, Blumenau, Brasília,
Campinas, Campo Grande,
Caxias do Sul, Criciúma, Curitiba,
Diadema - São Paulo,
Feira de Santana, Fortaleza,
Goiania, Jaboatão dos Guararapes,
Joinville, João Pessoa, Juiz de Fora,
Londrina, Maceió, Mauá – Diadema,
Natal, Niteroi, Olinda, Porto Alegre,
Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador,
Santos, Sorocaba, Sumaré,
São Paulo, Uberlândia

16. Photo: EMBARQ Brasil Transoeste Rio de Janeiro May 2012

17. Bus systems and busways in the world!
! daily demand per region (M pax/day)!
Asia!
USA and Canada! 26 cities!
20 cities! 26 corridors!
27 corridors! 6.14 M pax/day!
0.85 M pax/day! Europe!
43 cities!
52 corridors!
1.66 M pax/day!
Africa!
3 cities!
3 corridors!
0.24 M pax/day!
Latin America and
Oceania!
the Caribbean!
7 cities!
50 cities!
7 corridors!
153 corridors!
0.33 M pax/day!
15.76 M pax/day!
source: BRTdata.org, January, 2013!

18. http://www.embarq.org/en/modernizing-
public-transportation

19. Transit reform through bus systems have
been successful
! Quality and performance are
better than in the systems
they replaced
! Main achievement: travel
time reduction and increased
safety and reliability
! Efficiency gains - reduced
energy consumption and air
pollutants and CO2 emissions
! Reduced traffic fatalities
! Improved urban environments
19

20. CommonWhat Went
problems Wrong
• Rushed implementation – several components
incomplete at launch
• 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 deterioration of infrastructure (lack of road surface
reinforcement or problems in design/construction)
• Glitches in IT systems, specially fare collection
• Insufficient user education
Filename/RPS Number

21. The main structural problems are
institutional or regulatory
! Cash flow issues – absence of operational subsidies -
financial stress
! Expansion has proven difficult after initial corridors
! Opposition from existing operators – high cost of making the
reform possible
! Change in political leadership and local priorities – “rail debates”
! Lack of integration with normal bus services (integrated
systems are now progressing after Santiago → Bogotá, Cali, Medellin, México)
Megabús – Pereira Metrovía - Guayaquil Transantiago - Santiago
21
Fotos: D. Hidalgo 2006, 2007

22. The transit to integrated public transport continues
Leadership + Capacity + Funding

23. Public transport reform in Latin America!
! Presented to the World Bank Sustainable Development
Network!
! More information at:!
! EMBARQ.org!
! Questions? Comments? Contact us at embarq@wri.org!
! Follow us on Twitter: @EMBARQnetwork!
EMBARQ helps cities make sustainable transport a reality.!