Rapid bus transit
Better late than never. Given the horrible state of the public transport system particularly in Metro Manila, any proposal that will make it better is very much welcome. The government, in fact, should prioritize measures to ease the worsening traffic problem considering its impact on the overall economy: An efficient transport system results in the speedy flow of goods and services and of people, raising in the process the economy’s overall productivity level. We need not emphasize that an estimated P140 billion is lost every year due to the traffic congestion in the metropolis, according to a study published by the National Center for Transportation Studies.
The latest proposal to ease the traffic problem, which was announced last week by Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya, involves a so-called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for the metropolis. Described as a “game-changer” in the government’s fight against colorum operators, the BRT is seen to be as effective as rail systems in terms of moving people quickly and efficiently, but much cheaper to build and faster to develop. The Department of Transportation and Communications will propose a Manila BRT to serve initially the Quezon Circle-Manila City Hall route. It is also studying other possible BRT locations in Metro Manila. A BRT system was earlier approved by the National Economic and Development Authority for Cebu City.
Although the BRT concept began in Curitiba, Brazil, in 1974, its popularity was boosted by the system’s introduction in Bogota, Colombia, in 2000. Today, there are more than 200 BRT systems operating or being built worldwide. In theory, a BRT can be the most cost-efficient public transport system. It is described as a mass transit system that imitates the expensive metro or light rail transit, yet is itself among the most cost-effective public transport systems in the world. It uses buses that run on unobstructed designated lanes.
“Transmilenio,” the BRT system in Bogota, has become a model for similar transport systems worldwide. Bogota is a big city of more than 7 million people. Prior to Transmilenio, public transport there was similar to what we have in Metro Manila, with private buses that can be flagged down at any point along their route. Transmilenio was designed to replace many of these private buses with a state-of-the-art transport system.
Transmilenio SA, operator of the BRT in Bogota, describes it thus: Transmilenio is essentially a high-end subway or metro that happens to operate on the surface using vehicles with rubber tires. The stations are like rail or subway stations, with multiple doors, level-boarding to vehicles, fare collection at the station entrance, electronic information signs showing arrival times for vehicles, glass door partitions between the stations and vehicles, and many other amenities.
On major trunk lines, the Transmilenio uses two dedicated lanes in each direction to enable local service on the inside lane and express service on the outside lane, allowing passengers to choose the route that is best for them. In the downtown area, a major street was converted to BRT-and-pedestrian-use-only, enabling thousands of workers per hour to travel downtown by BRT and have a safe and attractive pedestrian walkway to reach their offices. The Bogota system uses articulated buses, which are two red buses connected in the middle by a flexible tube.
The Bogota BRT can be replicated here. The government must seriously address the pressing concerns that might block it. Already, a legal challenge is being posed by the Filipino consortium Philtrak, which previously presented unsolicited proposals for BRT projects in Metro Manila and Cebu that were turned down because of the Aquino administration’s preference for “open and transparent” bidding. Philtrak claims that its “subsidy-free” BRT projects, as an alternative to railways, will save billions of pesos in subsidies allotted to existing mass railways in Metro Manila, which require government support to continue operations.
As it is today, we also cannot imagine how the government can provide exclusive lanes for the BRT buses on Quezon Avenue (the main link from Quezon Memorial Circle to the City of Manila) and more so on Edsa during rush hours, when these major thoroughfares look like giant parking lots filled with cars, SUVs, buses, motorcycles and small trucks. The answer may be a special separate road network bypassing these busy avenues.
