TransMilenio

TransMilenio is the Metro bus system of Colombia's capital city Bogotá, with more than 8 million residents in the greater one of the largest metropolitan regions of South America. Following the example of speech Integrada de Transporte the Brazilian city of Curitiba, a system of express buses ( Bus Rapid Transit, BRT) was introduced in November 2000 after 30 years of fruitless planning a subway had elapsed. The system consists of large-scale articulated buses with up to 260 passengers, own lanes with fast lane, and raised stops, open their doors until the arrival of the bus. Payment is by smart card when entering the station, so that free transfer is possible and no delay by a ticket when boarding Buy arises. The main lines ( troncales ) are both regular lines ( facil ) and express routes operated, do not approach all stops. Shuttle buses ( alimentadores ) connect the suburbs with the Bogotá TransMilenio bus stops. The TransMilenio is part of an integrated transport network Integrado Sistema de Transporte de Bogotá ( SITP ) of the bus lines without exclusive lanes and stops on its own includes.

Other parts of the TransMilenio concept are a newly created network of bicycle paths, new green spaces and pedestrian areas in the city and takes place twice a year day without a car. When the fathers of the TransMilenio be referred to the former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Peñalosa and Antanas Mockus his successor.

Before the introduction of the TransMilenio public transport of the city consisted of a variety of bus lines without line power, fixed stops, or the possibility of free interchanges. A huge amount of freely operating companies operated these lines with small buses with ten to 40 passengers. This decentralized bus system continues parallel to the TransMilenio.

The bus system is used by the public company Empresa de Transporte Tercer Milenio SA planned and operated. The buses themselves are operated by a number of private companies. The lines have been advertised globally on a by Troncal and alimentadores.

The system serves as a model for many cities in developing countries, such as the Transantiago in Santiago de Chile and the Metrobús of Mexico City, as it is to implement compared to a subway cheaper and faster.

• 2.1 Works and Extensions

• 4.1 Strikes and protests

Transport system

The transport system is optimized for the transport of a large number of people over a relatively large distance. Great ( express) buses with many doors run on exclusive lanes. Entry and exit is via closed, raised stops. Is paid upon entering the bus stops.

Stops

The stations of the TransMilenio are on a platform, so that the passenger does not have to climb as common in Germany in the bus, but can enter at the same level. This reduces the time spent at stops and allows access for wheelchair users. The glass doors of the station open only when the bus has come to a standstill. The stations are located in the middle of the road, so that the exit is on the left side despite legal relations. This permit transfers in the opposite direction, without the passenger must change the riser. The stations are also connected for the disabled and pedestrian bridges on both sides of the street. All stops have electronic boards which indicate the approximate arrival time of the bus lines.

Buses

The diesel-powered buses are procured from different companies, including Volvo, Scania, Volkswagen and Mercedes -Benz. This is mostly to articulated buses, since 2009, double articulated buses that offer to 27.2 m in length up to 260 passengers. The TransMilenio buses are tracked using satellite technology (GPS ), which routes and utilization can be optimized. All buses have relatively many doors. The buses will be delivered painted red, the Double articulated buses red and yellow. The orders for the buses were advertised -2 and Euro Euro 3 standards on the basis of.

Payment system

A ride on the TransMilenio usually cost 1400 pesos ( about 50 euro cents ) and 1700 pesos in the rush hour 5:30 to 8:30 and 16:30 to 19:30. The tickets are chip cards Mifare system that can be bought at the entrance of the stops and can contain multiple drives. They are contactless read at the bus stops and then reused. This means that all buses in the system can be used for this amount without time limit, as long as you do not leave the bus stops, and thus transfer is free of charge. In addition, the numbers or controlling omitted tickets when boarding, which reduces the travel time.

Operator

The bus system is used by the public company Empresa de Transporte Tercer Milenio SA planned and operated. The buses themselves are operated by a number of private companies. The lines have been advertised globally on a by Troncal and alimentadores. The operators of troncales are the ten companies SI99 SA, Express del Futuro SA, Ciudad Móvil SA, Metrobús SA, Transmasivo SA, SA SI02, Connexion Móvil SA Gmóvil, SAS, SAA Coobus, and Consorcio Express SAS The operators of alimentadores are Alnorte Fase II, Alcapital Fase II, SI 03, Citimóvil, ETMA SA, TAO SA, Gmóvil, SAS, SAS Coobus, and Consorcio Express SAS

Opening times

The TransMilenio runs Monday to Saturday from 05:00 bis 23:00 clock, closed on Sunday and public holidays from 06:00 bis 22:00 clock. Single line have significantly shorter opening times. The feeder start the service from Monday to Saturday half an hour earlier and run until midnight.

Lines

By the end of April 2006, passengers could choose between four types of bus services:

• Normal ( corriente ): Holds at each stop
• Express ( expreso, expreso dominical ): Does not at all stops
• Super Express ( super expreso ): Introduced in 2005 and runs either in one direction only ( ASIMETRICO ) or turn in both directions ( simetrico ). This type of line skips many stops and is being set up only at peak times.
• Feeder lines ( alimentador Intermunicipal ): Head of the final stops in places in the area

In the second phase of expansion in 2006 lines and wording were changed to facilitate transfers between different lines to 29 April. For this purpose, nine different routes were identified by their terminal stations with different letters:

• Troncal Caracas between Calle 76 and Tercer Milenio: 14 stations
• Autopista Norte between Portal del Norte and Héroes: 15 stations
• Suba between Portal de Suba and San Martín: 14 stations
• Calle 80 between Portal de la 80 and Polo: 14 stations
• NQS Central between La Castellana and Ricaurte: 11 stations
• Américas between Portal de Las Américas and De La Sabana: 17 stops
• NQS Sur between comuneros and Portal del Sur: 12 stops
• Caracas Sur between Hospital, Portal de Usme and Portal del Tunal: 16 stops
• Eje Ambiental between the Museo del Oro and Las Aguas: 2 stops.

In addition, the bus will continue to differentiate to Corrientes, Expresos and Alimentadores Intermunicipales. The Super Expresos have ceased to exist by the reform.

The TransMilenio buses are as follows:

In addition, the off-hook in the stations timetables no longer describe since the reform of the entire network, but provide more detail on the lines that stop at this station, a.

Construction and extensions

The planned until the end of 2005 for the inauguration route Suba up to Bosa in the south of Bogotá was completed in April 2006. The route NQS (Norte - Quito -Sur ) was completed in July 2005, although the connection station was inaugurated even before the end of April 2006. At this time should be added another 484 buses and feeder. On 13 April 2006, the third stage of the route NQS was open to traffic, with a length of 4.7 km and construction costs in the amount of approximately EUR 66.3 million. This route reduces the average travel time between the cemetery " El Apogeo " in the south of the city, 170th Street to the north from 2 hours to 45 minutes. Take a train to Suba was completed on 30 April.

The routes Troncal Caracas Autopista Norte and have significant attributable to the construction defects. So 33% of Caracas and 22% of Autopista are damaged, according to the acting mayor Garzón. Calle 80 is less affected with comparable low 8% damage. In addition, there continues to be disagreement, how much one kilometers TransMilenio route costs in construction. To move the estimated 10 to 28 million dollars.

The Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzón announced on 1 August 2007, the plans for the expansion of two other routes, the Calle 26 and Carrera 10a, known. The construction work began in January 2009. Decision to build the TransMilenio on the Septima is still open, since this artery apparently would be too narrow in some places. The plan for the Septima should end of November 2007 and will not need to be transposed by the next mayor.

In January 2009, we started construction work on the extension of the line NQS 5.6 miles to the suburb of Soacha, which should be completed in March 2010. Due to bad planning, the construction by 12 months delayed. The cost estimate amounted only to 106 million euros, but had to be increased by 38.6 million euros. The planned route also includes the construction of three vehicle bridges, eleven pedestrian bridges and bike paths. The Autopista Sur will then consist of three lanes for normal traffic and two of the TransMilenio. The route is then elongated by following seven stops: La Esperanza, León XIII, Terreros, San Mateo, Carrera 7, San Humberto and terminal Soacha. The travel time is reduced thereby from 90 to 55 minutes.

Beginning of October 2010 it was announced that a new route on the Septima ( Carrera 7a) is to be built, one of the most important north -south connections in the city. Because this road is very narrow, the project was repeatedly delayed. Currently, various alternatives are examined, including a partially mixed traffic without exclusive lanes, and a tram.

On 1 October 2012, the stops were Av. Rojas, El Tiempo / Maloka, Quinta Paredes, Corferias and Plaza de la Democracia put into operation. The new routes K6 J6 and take the Troncal Calle 26. The stop Av. Rojas inaugurates also a bike parking garage.

Car Free Day

Like many other cities around the world has also Bogotá a day without cars, where the TransMilenio proves to be a primary means of transportation, such as claimable this system is. On February 24, 2000, this event was celebrated for the first time in Bogotá. In 2001, this was repeated and determined a reduction of emissions of 34%, a reduction of noise pollution was not found among other things, as the bus -based public transport did not allow this. A year later decided the citizens of the capital by referendum, to anchor the day without a car stuck in the legislation. He now takes place twice a year.

On 3 February 2005, the day was celebrated without a car again. In use were 607 buses of the TransMilenio with 342 tributaries. 1.1 million participants used the TransMilenio on this day. Pollutant emissions were reduced by 45 %, but the retail suffered sales declines in the amount of 46%. On Car Free Day of February 2, 2006 Bogotá celebrated that 628,000 participants took advantage of the TransMilenio, 31,000 more than at comparable days. The average speed of all participants in the city has increased by 18%. Monoxidwerte have fallen by 33%, however, the PM levels have risen. This is probably due to the increased use of diesel -powered buses. The bike paths were used by slightly less than 15,000 participants, were being counted in the previous year about 21,500.

Criticism

Critics of the TransMilenio that here, unlike in metros polluting diesel fumes arise. In addition, the buses with their respective total of 160 places were (48 seated and 112 standing) far too small for the big city traffic. The buses are usually very crowded. Moreover, their cost relative to "normal" articulated buses are higher because it is mounted at the TransMilenio articulated buses because of on the left, is to approximately 50 cm in height ending doors to custom.

Another point of criticism is the existence of two separate bus lanes, as a large part of the " TransMilenio Jam" takes place at the stops. Critics believe it is more appropriate to the buses outside the station areas to provide only one track available and to leave the other "normal" traffic.

Another problem is that the TransMilenio is operated, for example, in contrast to the German public transport private and is therefore aimed at profit. Therefore, there is currently no TransMilenio night traffic.

Strikes and protests

On 2 May 2006 Bogotá was paralyzed by a strike by bus operators who were displaced by the new TransMilenio route NQS. Both universities and schools were closed. The Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzón was announced that the city's future should not be jeopardized by such a strike and threatened the bus operators with penalties. The city government adopted a number of measures that allowed, among other private citizens, to transport passengers for a fee. The strike was lifted on May 3, after President Álvaro Uribe had the Mayor Garzón strengthen the back. The demands of the bus operators were not met. However, the traffic returned to normal only on May 4.

On 9 May 2006 blocked 600 passengers a TransMilenio portal, to indicate in their opinion, too low bus frequency at peak times and the lack of shuttle buses, as well as to protest against the price policy of the TransMilenio operators. Then the purchase 200 additional buses was announced, set to go into operation in July 2006.

Apetrans, an association of small transport companies, trying to hold on May 26, a repeat of the strikes of May 3. Except for the districts of Bosa and Usme the traffic was however due to the well-functioning TransMilenio, which carried 10% more passengers smoothly. Demands were again drawn for the compensation from the transport Altbusse and price adjustments.

Bogotá suffers from heavy rains that flood the streets, which on 31 October 2006 that caused the stops 100, 76, 72, Usme and El Tunal had to be closed for several hours. The customer protested and got back the fare. Especially at the stop 72, the protest expanded to normal road traffic also came to a standstill. The stations could be opened in some cases only after twenty clock again.

Statistics

(May 2012)

According to a survey in the second half of 2006, 22.64 % of road users in Bogotá were transported by the TransMilenio. They were in absolute numbers 86.5 million. In that half of 15.35% were transported more participants, with the same period the use of all other means of transport other than the private car, were reversed. The Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the University de los Andes presented the results of the mobility in the capital before the end of 2009, which contradict the previous part. The use of the TransMilenio has grown between the years 2005-2008 from 10 to 11 % of all transport. From 48 to 42% was the use of all other buses in the same period. The biggest jump recorded by the private car from 15 to 22%. According to the study, the reasons are mainly due to the uncertainty and the lack of comfort of the 17 -year-old on average buses, which operate outside the TransMilenio routes.

(2009)

Swell