Better buses? Or more of the same old smokers? Photo: Steve Hide
Replacement vehicles promise a smoother TransMilenio. But will they bring less commuter misery – and fresher air – to one of the planet’s most congested cities? Here’s a quick Q&A on recent twists in Bogotá’s tangled transport systems.
So, what’s the good news? OK, so 1,162 smoky old TransMilenio buses are being replaced with 1,441 brand new articulated ‘low-emission’ units with on-board security cameras and sideways seating that should make travelling safer. According to official announcements, the new fleet will boost the carrying capacity of the city’s mass transit by ‘163,000 spaces’, which will make a difference to the 2.4 million people who use the system daily. Mayor Peñalosa is particularly chuffed, since he pushed through the bendy bus system during his previous tenure in the 1990s.
Does ‘low emissions’ mean electric buses? Er, no. Half the new buses will be gas powered, and the other half ‘clean diesel’, if there is such a thing. That last detail sparked twitter outrage from previous mayor Gustavo Petro, who claimed that diesel produces CO2 which contributes to climate change. Peñalosa tweeted that Petro had a nerve, adding that during his former stint as mayor, Petro had signed contracts allowing old buses to roll on after one million kilometres, and further failed to bring in a single new bus. Fair point.
Estos buses son deshechos de la empresa Volvo que ya no puede vender en el mundo por su tecnología Diesel que produce CO2, el gas efecto invernadero y del cambio climático.
Peñalosa y Bocarejo suspendieron la licitación de buses no contaminantes que inicié en 2015 https://t.co/468yvBXGcX
