[sustran] Recent overview article on Bogotá TransMilenio

[eric.britton at ecoplan.org]

We've been asked for more background on the Bogotá TransMilenio
"SurfaceMetro" system.  Here's a good overview article on it by Oscar
Edmundo Díaz, dated 27 Sept 2001

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TRANSMILENIO: BOGOTA'S BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM

Bogotá, Colombia, under Enrique Peñalosa's administration initiated an
ambitious mobility strategy to face its growing transportation problems
caused by fast population growth and rapid increase in automobile usage.
Measures included: promotion of non-motorized transportation, restriction of
automobile use, and development of a bus rapid transit system: TransMilenio.

TransMilenio encompasses four components:
* Specialized infrastructure
* Efficient operations
* Advanced billeting
* A new institution for planning, developing and controlling the system.
Infrastructure, planning and control are provided by public institutions,
while operations and billeting are contracted with private companies.

TransMilenio's infrastructure includes exclusive corridors, roads for feeder
buses, stations, and complementary facilities, with an average investment of
US$ 5 million per kilometer.  Articulated buses use central lanes of
existing streets, longitudinally segregated from the general traffic. The
system is complemented with integrated feeder buses on local streets.

Stations of the corridors are closed facilities, located in the median every
500 meters on average.  They have from one to three berths and vary from 40
meters to 180 meters in length. The system also includes pedestrian access
infrastructure (sidewalks, plazas, overpasses), and bus maintenance and
parking facilities.

To maximize service supply, there are express and local service trunk lines.
Express services stop at selected stations only, providing fast service to
users and better fleet utilization, while local services stop in all the
stations.  This combination allows the system to carry up to 45,000
passengers per hour per direction.  Exclusive corridors are served by
articulated diesel buses for 160 passengers each, whereas feeder lines are
served with diesel buses up to 80 passengers each. Buses comply with strict
operational and environmental requirements.

System operation is carried out by private providers, with strict conditions
set forth through concession contracts with centralized control.
TransMilenio operators are  consortiums of traditional local transport
companies, associated with national and international investors that own the
buses and hire drivers and maintenance personnel.  Contracts were awarded
through open bidding processes.  Payment is rendered based on kilometers
served by each operator.

The billeting system is also privately operated.  It includes production and
distribution of smart cards, acquisition and installation of turnstiles and
validating systems, passenger information and money handling.  A concession
contract was awarded through an open bidding process. The money collected
from card sales is deposited in a trust fund, which has the mandate to pay
the operators according to the rules set forth in the concession contracts.

To assure operations and work out the system expansion and maintenance, a
new public company was created (TRANSMILENIO S.A.).  Its structure is small,
given that it performs its charter through third parties.  Its operation is
funded with 3% of the ticket sales and ancillary activities.

TRANSMILENIO S.A. operates a Control Center which allows service and
passenger access supervision.  Each articulated bus is equipped with a GPS
and a processing unit reporting its location every 6 seconds. Turnstiles
also report to the Control Center the number of passengers entering and
leaving the system.   Supply and demand are then adjusted, and contingencies
attended in real time.

The system was developed during a three-year period. In January, 1998, the
components required to initiate the system did not exist. A project for
immediate implementation was not available, and there was not an institution
capable to carry out the initiative. System implementation required detailed
technical, legal and financial design; creation of a new public entity in
charge of planning, developing and controlling the system; confronting
resistance to change, especially from traditional operators and small bus
owners; contracting and developing the infrastructure; contracting and
starting up the operation; and obtaining local and national funds for system
expansion.

Operations started December 18, 2000.  By September, 2001, the system
transported 550,000 trips per weekday, in 35.5 kilometers of exclusive
lanes, 56 stations, 351 articulated buses and 110 feeder buses.  Goal
achievement was also evident after 9 months of operation: 100% reduction in
fatalities from traffic accidents, 40% reduction in some air pollutants, 32%
reduction in travel time for users, and acceptance level of 98% and ticket
cost of US$ 0.36 without operating subsidies.

By the end of 2001, more than 980,000 passengers per day are expected along
41 kilometers of exclusive lanes, 62 stations (including four terminal and
three intermediate integration stations), 470 articulated buses, and 300
feeder buses.  The system will be gradually expanded to 22 corridors
covering 388 kilometers of exclusive lanes, planned for implementation in a
15-year period.

TransMilenio is based upon, but goes beyond, the successful experiences of
Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Goiania, Brazil and Quito, Ecuador.  The system
incorporates advanced technologies for billeting and control, and
sustainable private participation schemes.  It is a feasible transit
solution for cities facing problems and constraints similar to those
existing in Bogotá.