Management
was a huge issue in the old traditional bus system, where the various bus
companies tried to obtain licenses to operate in the most profitable routes,
leading to too many buses at the city center and too few in the outskirts. The
competitive nature of the system meant poor bus maintenance and little regard
for the well-being of other road users or the passengers. Transmilenio was born
out of a desire to modernize the transportation infrastructure without paying
the hefty amounts for a Metro. While the concept of BRT isn’t new, Transmilenio
was revolutionary for its expansive network and high accolade during the first
few years of operation. With dedicated bus lanes and quick loading time, a 2001
survey gave Transmilenio a rating of 4.64 out of 5, with general consensus of
saved time and city’s improved cohesion.
Yet
criticisms were inevitable, from decay of roads to overcrowding and eventual
fare hike. One issue is that a trip on Transmilenio is more expensive than one
on traditional bus. This is most pressing for the poorest, and together with
overcrowding, has led to slow growth in passenger count. The central agency of Transmilenio,
which receives no operating subsidy, has complained about the “unfair
competition” from the traditional bus. Gilbert proposes that one solution is to
reduce the number of old buses. Scrapping of old buses, in exchange for the
license to run new buses, has been remarkably slow though, and many illegal “pirate”
buses are still in operation. This is the core of Gilbert’s message that while Transmilenio
is a great concept, “complementary changes have to be made in the rest of the
sector” if the system is to be sustainable for the future, for Transmilenio by
itself cannot solve the city’s transportation challenges.
Sources:
- Alan Gilbert: “Bus Rapid Transit: Is Transmilenio a Miracle Cure?"
