[sustran] Re: Reader's Digest Article

[John Ernst]

I would also suggest that, again for urban buses, a good example of both 
the problems and the start of a solution can be found in Jakarta.

Jakarta is a good example of the deterioration of urban bus service in Asia 
caused by the downward spiral of bus service as passengers switch to 
motorcycles, and eventually cars.  The increase in private vehicles 
produces severe congestion.

As the buses are caught in that congestion, they suffer from longer travel 
times, more fuel use, and more wear and tear, per passenger fare.  Corners 
are cut that decrease bus and service quality.  This provides incentive for 
more passengers to switch to motorcycles and other modes, reducing fare 
revenue, further increasing congestion ... thus the downward spiral.

The result in Jakarta is some very old, patched together, highly polluting, 
poorly regulated buses.  Security on-board is non-existent and pickpockets 
and "razor artists" (who slit open your bag or pocket to remove the 
contents) are both skilled and plentiful.

The licensing system is non-transparent to say the least, and there is also 
an informal system of streetside extortion of bus operators (with either 
the tacit or active support of the police).


On the solution side, Jakarta implemented a bus rapid transit system in 
January of this year, modeled loosely on the system in Bogota and other 
Latin American cities.  It is not perfect, and the agency - TransJakarta - 
is struggling to overcome the institutional hurdles inherent in the overall 
bus system.

However, the TransJakarta busway now provides fast, efficient access to the 
primary business corridor in Jakarta.  The buses operate in a segregated 
lane and so are largely immune from the congestion.  Fares are collected 
before boarding using electronic smart cards, at special enclosed 
stations.  Buses are new and clean, with security personnel in stations and 
on buses.  There is a zero-tolerance policy toward pickpockets (the whole 
bus is stopped and searched if an incident is reported).

Public acceptance has been very high and the system is operating above it's 
maximum design capacity -- additional buses are being added this 
year.  Although the route is only 13km (8 miles) long, it is carrying about 
60,000 passengers per day and already is roughly covering its operating 
costs.  A second corridor is now under construction and a total of 14 
corridors are planned.

Because the buses are freed from congestion, bus profitability dramatically 
increases.  This presents the opportunity for the city to demand higher 
quality of service from private operators, while the entire system can 
operate without government subsidy (unlike nearly every urban rail system 
which usually saddle governments with massive debt).

While the Bus Rapid Transit concept is currently best expressed in Bogota, 
the idea is spreading in Asia, with systems now being designed in India 
(Delhi and Hyderabad), Beijing, and elsewhere.  Primarily because it 
reallocates public infrastructure away from private transit and back toward 
public transit, it likely represents the best hope for high-quality urban 
bus service in Asia.

John


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John Ernst   -  Director, Asia Region
ITDP - The Institute for Transport and Development Policy
    115 West 30th Street - Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001
    Tel +1 (212) 629-8001   Direct Tel +1 (719) 635-8856  Direct Fax +1 
(801) 365-5914
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