Boarding El Metropolitano BRT in Lima, Peru. Photo by EMBARQ.

In a capital city with 8 million inhabitants, not only was Lima’s advanced bus system the first of its kind in the country, but it also provides valuable lessons for the rest of Latin America. Building on the Lima experience, other cities in Peru can be inspired to deliver the saved time and lives that El Metropolitano is delivering day after day. TheCityFix sat down with Hernan Navarro, Operations Manager at El Metropolitano to learn more about Lima’s advanced bus system.

Navarro highlights key learnings about the 33-kilometer (20-mile) El Metropolitano system connecting 16 districts of Peru’s capital along a north-south corridor opened in October of 2010.

Interview:

1. What makes El Metropolitano unique in Peru, and across the BRT world?

What makes El Metropolitano so special in Peru, is that it is the first and only BRT system in the country; our buses also run on natural gas, which helps reduce tailpipe emissions.

Also, Lima’s BRT has a “fast track” with no stoplights called the “Via Expresa,” on which only small vehicles, and El Metropolitano are permitted in the dedicated lanes. Thus, it saves a tremendous amount of travel time to the benefits of the inhabitants of Lima.

2. Is El Metropolitano integrated with other transport systems?

To a certain extent, we could say it is integrated in a “casual way,” with the main, trunk line accessible by peripheral, non-BRT feeder buses. At certain spots in the city, minibuses have become the feeder system, forming a sort of natural integration, as they choose routes that can help passengers reach BRT stations, where they can continue their trips, with the benefit of a fast system as backbone.

Additionally, we have planned a formal integration with the Lima metro system to come into effect in the coming months. The metro and El Metropolitano will be connected through the Gamarra shopping center station, the commercial heart of Lima. We see this integration as a way of responding to customer demand in a more effective way.

3. Since El Metropolitano began operations, have Lima’s roads become safer?

Before El Metropolitano started working, there used to be around 30 accidents per month along the same route. Since 2010, the number of accidents per month has dropped by almost 90%, and we now have an average of three to four accidents per month.

4. What are the top three ways that El Metropolitano has directly improved people’s lives?

Saving time: Some trips that used to take 2 hours in rush hour and can now be made in 25 minutes with El Metropolitano.

Saving money: There is a flat fare for riding El Metropolitano, meaning that even in rush hour, and across long distances, passengers still pay 2 soles (USD$0.77).

Saving lives: People feel safer, and there are significantly fewer accidents, as compared with conventional buses.

5. Do you have any advice for other municipalities in the planning process for a BRT, or considering it? What lessons could they learn from you?

Be careful with contracts. Make sure that plans for necessary infrastructure and land acquisition are secured prior to making an offer to operators, so that you don’t experience later problems.

Define the station sizes according to public demand. Some stations are more popular than others, and therefore should be larger. It is all about making the most out of the available space and adapting to customer needs.

6. How is El Metropolitano perceived among the general public?

In a city of 8 million inhabitants, El Metropolitano serves 5% of the people. Yet when El Metropolitano is in the spotlight, its actions are closely followed and widely broadcasted by the media. Everything we do, whether good or bad is highlighted in the media and discussed among residents.

7. Now that you have surpassed 300 million passenger trips, what are El Metropolitano’s goals looking ahead?

We have 4 specific goals for our next 300 million trips:

1. Use all available buses: We have 522 buses, 96% of which are currently in use, but we want to have them all up and running.

2. Increase ridership: We measure ridership by passengers per kilometer (PKM) travelled along the corridor. For trunk-line buses we have a PKM index of around 6.5 and for feeders we have 3. Our goal is to increase these numbers to 7 and 5 passengers per kilometer, respectively.

3. Increase the value for the operators: In other words, help our bus operators increase their ridership and profit margin. Currently, we offer the operators an 85% of value per kilometer; this is mostly due to the fact that El Metropolitano only attends to 5 % of of Lima’s transport demand. We hope to build upon this.

4. Extend the corridor: We are extending the route 7 kilometers, from Naranjal to Patio Norte, in Lima.

El Metropolitano addresses a historic need in Lima, a city which had been waiting for a mass transport solution since the late-1960s. Overall it is making progress, providing passengers a cost-effective and efficient way to go from point A to point B. While the system still has a long way to go in terms of passenger capacity, fare integration, and routes, El Metropolitano is steadily moving Lima step closer to a more sustainable, organized urban environment – a place where people want to live.

Interested in learning more about El Metropolitano BRT in Lima? Visit their website.

For more info on BRT in Latin America, check out the upcoming conference of the Association of Latin American Integrated Transportation Systems and Bus Rapid Transit (SIBRT). The Third SIBRT Congress: “Best Practices in SIBRT in Latin America”, will be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, June 4-7, 2013.

The A-Rix Meter app calculates the distance and fare for an auto-rickshaw ride. Photo by A-Rix Meter.

This blog post is a part of the catalyzing new mobility program and receives support from The Rockefeller Foundation.

In a city as large as Mumbai—with a population of more than 12 million people—transportation can be a challenge. While residents have a number of options in the form of buses, trains, taxis and auto-rickshaws, that doesn’t always translate to an easy commute. Buses and trains are overcrowded, and outdated mechanical meters make it hard for passengers to know whether they will get the right fare on a taxi or auto-rickshaw. Drivers have to refer to a constantly updated fare chart, meters are often tampered with, and fare charts are often fabricated. While Mumbai is in the process of rolling out electronic meters across the city, a number of “smart technology” entrepreneurship initiatives (as we’ve discussed in a previous post) have popped up in the auto-rickshaw sector to fill the gap in public knowledge about fare calculations.

In preparation for a comprehensive case study on the auto-rickshaw industry in Mumbai, EMBARQ India sat down with a number of the entrepreneurs involved in these efforts to get their take on the challenges in the sector and what motivated them to create their businesses.

The chart below showcases some of the transit apps and their features:

Features: Locations, Fares and Timetables

According to the app creators, the universal catalyst was to make it easier for passengers to correctly calculate fares without having to rely on the (often unreliable) mechanical meters and fare charts. This is an effort to give the passenger some measure of power and not be at the will of the driver. Several app creators also highlighted the difficulty of traveling to a new city and being unfamiliar with its fare rules. These apps give passengers the correct fare, as well as ensure that they are not being taken on a roundabout route. Many use GPS technology to measure the distance of the auto-rickshaw ride and pre-loaded fare rates for cities to calculate the correct fare.

The creators of Suruk went a step further than creating a tool for fare calculation, after a survey of auto-rickshaw users found that passengers’ main concern after tampered meters was safety. For that reason, the Suruk app incorporates a “panic button” so that users can alert an emergency contact with their location if in trouble. The app also allows users to rate drivers based on their registration numbers.

Mumbai Auto launched the day after a fare change in Mumbai that made the mechanical meters more complicated to read. The creators wanted a quick and easy solution, so users can just punch in the meter reading and instantly get the corresponding price.

M-Indicator is a one-stop shop for transit information in Mumbai. On the app, the user can access train and bus timetables and routes, as well as taxi and auto-rickshaw fares. They even include movie showtimes.

User Feedback

Most app creators have received enthusiastic feedback about their products. Tuk-Tuk Meter‘s creator said that lots of drivers have contacted the company and are excited to learn the actual distance they have traveled. The creator of Mumbai Auto and SmartMumbaikar mentioned that a few drivers have even downloaded their app to help calculate fares.

On the flip side, users of A-Rix Meter have mentioned that drivers are unhappy when they are shown how inaccurate their meter is. Overall, the apps have helped many people save time and money. They also can help users orient themselves in a new city. Simply, these apps were ahead of government action on a crucial problem: passengers not knowing the correct fare for their rickshaw ride.

It is important to note that these apps are only available on smartphones, which the majority of Mumbaikars (including drivers) don’t own. While users number in the tens of thousands, Mumbai is a city of more than 12 million. Large scale usage of these apps is not a practical solution to the problem and a more widespread fix is necessary.

Future Plans

There has already been a noticeable increase in electronic meters—or “e-meters”—in Mumbai and they are expected to be universal within a year. Each auto-rickshaw permit holder is required to install an electronic meter in their vehicle at their next annual fitness test. These meters show the distance, waiting time and actual fare to be paid. It will remain to be seen whether the replacement of mechanical meters will eliminate the need for these helpful apps in Mumbai. However, they will still be essential in cities across India where regulations regarding fares and meters differ. In addition, while the new e-meters are more difficult to tamper with, it may take some time for passengers to get accustomed to the accuracy of the new meters. These apps will continue providing users with a way to double-check the fares until they trust the e-meter’s reliability. Beyond that, most of the app creators also have ideas to expand their businesses along related paths. One thing is certain: these entrepreneurs won’t stop creating further innovations to improve the user experience and their ideas are applicable across cities in India and around the world.

Sydney's transport authority may offer free rides to lure more passengers. Photo by Beau Giles.

Sydney’s new infrastructure authority, Infrastructure New South Wales (Infrastructure NSW), is looking at a range of options to reduce peak hour congestion. At an industry conference on November 15, agency officials suggested providing free train fares between midnight and 7:00 a.m.  Currently, Sydney’s train fares are the same price 24/7, except for return off-peak and weekend tickets.

Infrastructure NSW argues that free fares could encourage up to 5 percent of commuters  to switch to pre-peak hour travel.

Free early morning train fares were trialled in another Australian state in 2009, but the trial results suggested commuters tended to stick to their travel times, despite the free fare offer.  Many commuters tended to catch the last train in the free fare period, which created more congestion. A reduced early morning fare was also trialled by the previous NSW government in 2008, but it was never implemented because only 1 percent of commuters changed their travel habits.

However, research presented at the Australasian Transport Research Forum in September indicated that commuters may be willing to travel a little earlier if the price is right. The research found that, if fares are discounted by 30 percent, 15 percent of peak-hour passengers would be willing to travel half an hour earlier.

The proposal comes after Infrastructure NSW made an official submission to its national counterpart, Infrastructure Australia, asking for a AUD$8.58 billion contribution to the state’s AUD$62.6 billion infrastructure plan over the next four years. About a third of this budget would be spent on new transport infrastructure.

How are some of the ways your city encourages off-peak travel on public transport?

Jaipur's new bus service is a model for other Indian cities. Photo by Umang Jain.

Umang Jain, a transport specialist with EMBARQ India, reflects on the creation of a public-private partnership for Jaipur City Bus Service.

The Ministry of Urban Development in India sanctioned 400 buses for Jaipur at a cost of Rs 142 crore (US$29 million) under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) program.

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), in the name of Jaipur City Bus Services Ltd. (JCTSL), was constituted for planning, managing and supervising the operations of city bus services. JCTSL engaged Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) for the operations of buses under a gross cost contract. The bus service runs under the name of “Jaipur Bus.”

THE STATE OF THE SYSTEM

Currently, JCTSL is operating about 221 buses on 10 routes. Each of these routes is designated by a different color. Out of the 10 routes, 7 routes are radial, while 3 are circular. The routing plan was devised by JCTSL in a manner so that the majority of the people complete their journey with only one transfer.

There are about 1,400 mini-buses that are directly competing with the JCTSL buses for ridership and revenue.

The operations commenced in July 2010 with a flat fare of Rs 7 per trip per passenger and an average daily ridership of 60,000 passengers. Consequently, JCTSL could not cater to short distance travelers (traveling up to four kilometers), which constituted only 7 percent of the total JCTSL bus riders and 60 percent of minibus riders.

ALWAYS IMPROVING

Based on the above analysis, EMBARQ (the producer of this blog) recommended a stage-based fare structure, which was adopted in April 2011, resulting in a three-fold increase in the number of short distance travelers, and average daily ridership increased to 160,000 passengers. The system was able to garner 19 percent modal shift and, more importantly, a 5 percent modal shift from private modes of transport, which implies that the system has been very well-received by the people of Jaipur.

In parallel, EMBARQ helped JCTSL to reduce its cost of bus operations by adopting cost-effective measures and doing away with certain elements like terminating the annual maintenance contract with the manufacturer of buses and doing in-house maintenance (thereby reducing overhead) by renegotiating the operating contract with the bus operator. This resulted in a reduction of approximately 15 percent in bus operating costs. All these measures resulted in making the operations much more viable, with the deficit reducing from Rs 21 per kilometer to Rs 11 per kilometer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIAN CITIES

This example indicates that a flat-fare system is not suited to Indian bus operations. At the same time, this is a unique example of a public-public partnership wherein two public agencies have joined hands and delivered an efficient bus service. This can serve as a model that can be replicated in many Indian cities with little or no public transport and also in rapidly urbanizing Tier 2 cities similar to Jaipur.

But there is still a long way to go, as the share of public transport is very low. The system needs to run in a sustainable manner for the share of buses to increase.

Touch and ride with the newest innovation from Google. Photo by yoshinari.

Google Wallet, an app that transforms your phone into your wallet, is partnering with New Jersey Transit to bring the “tap-and-pay” option to customers. “NJ Transit is the first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet,” NJ.com explains, “allowing customers to wave their smart phones in front of a sensor to pay and sparing them the hassle of fishing for cash or credit cards.”

Google Wallet is a partnership between Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint. The application is an “opportunity to strengthen customer relationships by offering a faster, easier shopping experience with relevant deals, promotions and loyalty rewards,” the project’s website explains.

The free mobile app, available currently on Sprint Nexus S 4G, enables wireless data transmission between two objects so that customers can pay their public transit fares by a simple gesture, the Wall Street Journal adds. Payments through the free mobile app also depend on Citi MasterCard or a virtual Google Prepaid Card, which can be funded by your credit card, Tom’s Guide explains.

The payment option is only available at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and windows, Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station (AirTrain), and on NJbus routes 6, 43, 80, 81, 87, 120, and 126.

“Our partnership with Google demonstrates that NJ Transit and the state are at the forefront of emerging technology, paving the way for further exploration of new customer service technologies,” NJ Governor Chris Christie said in a statement to NJ.com. “I’m proud that New Jersey’s public transportation system is the very first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, joining thousands of retailers accepting Wallet across the nation.”

Would you use Google Wallet to pay for your transit rides? Share with us in the comments section below.

A train arrives at Circular Quay station in Sydney. Photo by Sacha Fernandez.

Last month, the State Minister for Transport announced that Sydney’s new integrated public transport ticketing system, the Opal Card, would begin operating in late 2012. (See here for a list of other names considered for the new contactless smartcard ticketing system. Ideas ranged from literal, i.e. “Ride Card,” to downright bizarre, i.e. “Cheese & Kisses Card.”)

Integrated ticketing has been promised in Sydney since 1993. It was meant to have started in time for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but disagreement between the government and the contractor meant the system was never established and ended up costing taxpayers close to AU$200 million. However, the recently elected government seems committed to getting the system running.

While Sydney’s ticketing systems for buses, light rail and ferries will mesh fairly easily with a new integrated system, heavy rail (run by CityRail) uses a very dated ticketing regime. With that in mind, here are the top seven issues to consider for the current CityRail ticketing system to encourage more Sydneysiders to get on board.

1.  Discounts for return trips

Sydneysiders pay the same for a single trip as for a return trip. Buying a return ticket saves CityRail money by printing less tickets and serving less transactions at the ticket office, so why not pass the savings on to passengers?  Although few other rail systems offer discounted return tickets, they do offer discounts on multi-trip credit top-ups.  New York, for instance, gives a 7 percent discount on pay-per-ride credit top-ups of $10 or more.

2. Discounts for peak hour travel

At the moment, traveling during peak hour on CityRail trains is 30 percent more expensive than in off-peak periods. Ironically, peak hour travelers are less likely to get a seat and the frequency of service is no better than in the off-peak periods at many suburban stations. Peak hour travel also costs more in London, but there is no peak hour surcharge in Berlin or New York. If governments want to get more commuters out of their cars, maybe discounts during the peak hour would be a better approach.

3. Flat trip fares

CityRail fares are based on distance. This probably discourages people in the outer suburbs from using the train rather than the car.  The fare cut-off points are quite arbitrary and can lead to situations where commuters crowd into stations 200 meters farther down the line to be closer to the city and save 30 percent on their fare. Single trips anywhere on the New York subway cost US$2.50.

4. Breakable trips

Restrictions on breaking your trip, i.e. leaving the station part way through your journey to rejoin the trip later, are pretty common in cities around the world. However, having to pay a second time when breaking a trip is usually simple for commuters because they pay a flat fare. In Sydney, trip-breakers need a new ticket that specifies their destination and may be a different price. This adds complexity to the process.

5. Multi-trip passes based on trips not time

Sydney’s buses use a multi-trip system that allows 10 trips, at a discount of 30 percent on single tickets. New York has Pay-per-Ride with a 7 percent discount. CityRail has no equivalent ticket for multiple trips, and the only option is a time-based weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual ticket.  If you ride the trains infrequently, get sick or go on holiday, there is no value for you in buying multi-trip tickets based on time.

6. 24-hour ticket validity

Single CityRail tickets are only valid until 4:00 a.m. the following day. This means that someone traveling late at night and wishing to return the next morning after 4:00 a.m. must buy two separate tickets, rather than use a return ticket. Plus, trains don’t operate between midnight and 4:30 a.m. and are replaced by buses running only every 30 minutes. Making tickets valid for a 24-hour period would be much more fair.

7. Tickets with an unspecified destination

This last point may seem the most archaic to non-Sydneysiders. Every ticket issued on CityRail trains (apart from some tourist and pension tickets) specifies the stations where the trip must start and end. A ticket does not allow you to travel within a given zone, for example, six stations in any direction. It allows you to travel between two specific stations. Virtually all other networks in the world that don’t use flat fares or fully electronic ticketing use a zonal fare system. Even in Sydney, the bus network has used a zonal system for decades.