As of May 2013, bus rapid transit (BRT) has expanded to operate in 156 cities across the world, with 83 additional cities currently in the planning and construction stages. In 2005, the Metrobus BRT system came to Mexico City, replacing 1,383 obsolete, highly polluting microbuses. Since then, BRT in Mexico has expanded to 35 lines, with 526 buses transporting over 1.16 million passengers per day, along 156 kilometers (97 miles) of road. Mexico’s BRT impact has been felt in the form of 180,000 total commuting hours saved; a 110,000-ton reduction in CO2 emissions -- equivalent to the annual emissions from 22,917 passenger vehicles; and a 35% reduction in harmful particle pollution. EMBARQ director Holger Dalkmann emphasized BRT benefits as part of the Second Annual Future Megacities in Action 2013 conference, in Hamburg, Germany. Dalkmann also participated on two sessions, on mobility, integrated sustainable urban transport systems during a high-level conversation intended to advance discussion between public sector representatives, political decision makers, and researchers. Bus rapid transit integrating with city culture in Mexico Mexico City’s Metrobus is a good example of the versatility of bus rapid transit and its ability to adapt to historic districts, with cultural, tourist, and commercial value, while offering urban accessibility. Bus rapid transit has also helped make Mexico City’s streets safer for pedestrians, by recovering streets and sidewalk space for pedestrians and other road users. The bus rider experience has also been enhanced with entertainment and safety technology, as well as external fare systems, and accessibility for people with a variety of mobility needs. In 2009, the Mexican Federal government instituted the Public Transportation Federal Support Program (PROTRAM) to fund public transportation improvements in cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. As a result, BRT systems are being promoted in 35 cities across Mexico with the support from the Federal government. But according to Dalkmann, BRT in Mexico still faces obstacles in the form of opposition from private bus operators, the need to build human skills to define quality BRT projects, shifting political agendas, and the limited number of communication strategies that currently in place to bring such projects into the public light, both before and after completion. Bus rapid transit systems are but a part to rethinking urban development around mobility, and Mexico’s transport planners should tap the potential for further integration between the Metrobus, suburban rail systems, inter-urban transport companies, the airport, the Metro system, and the Ecobici bike-sharing system in order to scale up a sustainable mobility future. Read more from Holger Dalkmann on TheCityFix.com: http://thecityfix.com/blog/author/hdalkmann/

1. Sustainable Transport Solutions in Emerging Economies
Working Session - 10:30am-12:30pm
May 15, 2013
Future Megacities in Action Conference
Holger Dalkmann
Director, EMBARQ
World Resources Institute

2. The Global Network of EMBARQ

3. CONGESTION
ROAD SAFETY
CLIMATE CHANGE
PUBLIC HEALTH
2-5 cost of GDP through traffic
congerestion
Transport accounts for one-quarter of
global CO2 emissions
Traffic fatalities lead to 1.2 million deaths
every year and many more injuries
Physical inactivity causes 1 in 10 deaths
worldwide, on par with smoking

4. Paradigm Shift: Trend vs. Leapfrogging
Cheonggyecheon, Seoul, South Korea

5. Ahmedabad, India
3.3 million 1992 6.4 million 2011

6. Two Options: Sustainable or Unsustainable?
Today
Ahmedabad, India
Population: 5.4m
Trips: 5.6m/yr
Year 2041
Population: 13.2m
Trips: 39.8m/yr
Automobility
Area: 6,484 sq. km
Emissions: 12.32m tCO2/yr
Traffic Fatalities: 5,232/yr
Sustainable Transport
Area: 50% reduction
Emissions: 84% reduction
Traffic Fatalities: 74% reduction
• Same population
• Same number of trips
• Very different outcomes

7. Transport Infrastructure Investment Estimates
Source: CEPT University, 12FYP, 2011
$10 Million
2030
0.4 Billion
USD/Year
0.6 Billion
USD/Year
1.2 Billion
USD/Year
0.8 Billion
USD/Year

8. 8

9. 9

10. Non-motorized
mobility
Public Transport
Public Spaces
Compact
development
with mixed-uses
Ground Floor for
commercial use
Parking & car
management
Community
Participation
Rethinking Urban Development: Mobility

11. Non-motorized
mobility
Public Transport
Public Spaces
Compact
development
with mixed-uses
Ground Floor for
commercial use
Parking & car
management
Community
Participation
Rethinking Urban Development: Mobility

12. Bus Rapid Transport in Mexico

13. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

14. Photo: CTS EMBARQ Mexico

15. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

16. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

17. Photo:CTSEMBARQMexico

18. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

19. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

20. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

21. Photo:CTS EMBARQ Mexico

22. Evolution of BRT system in Mexico
2003 2005 2008 2009 2011
Length: 26 km
Fleet: 61
Length: 46 km
Fleet: 156
Length: 55 km
Fleet: 216
Length: 92 km
Fleet: 330
Length: 128 km
Fleet: 472
1,164,000
pp/day
2012
Length: 156 km
Fleet: 526
1,114,000
pp/day814,000
pp/day552,000
pp/day497,000
pp/day
237,000
pp/day

23. 4 lines, 156 km in 9 years, 500 buses, 1.160,000 people/day
Replaced 1,383 obsolete, highly polluting microbuses
17% of the users come from individual motor vehicles
110,000 tons of CO2 per year reduced (total 385,000 tons
reduced so far)
40% travel time savings per user (180,000 hours per year)
35% reduction in exposure to particulate matter (PM 2.5)
Metrobus in Numbers

24. Particulate matter emissions from ULSD
with technologies are similar to CNG
ULSD +
tech
Non-ULSD
+ no
filters

25. Integrated Transport Systems: Mexico City
Inter-urban transport
companies
Airport
BRT system
Metro system
Bike system
Suburban rail system

26. In 2009, the Mexican Federal government instituted the
Public Transportation Federal Support Program
(PROTRAM) to fund public transportation improvements
BRT systems are being promoted in 35 cities in Mexico with
the support from the Federal government
PROTRAM funds mass transit systems in cities with
population over 500 thousand people
Upscaling: Mass Transit Program (PROTRAM)

27. 35 BRT Systems:
o 5 build/under construction
o 30 under review / identification
BRT systems in Mexico
EMBARQ provides
technical advisory for
the implementation of
BRT systems:
1) identification
2) Preparation
3) Evaluation
4) Implementation
5) Monitoring
BRT Chihuahua
BRT Mexicali
BRT Ecovía Monterrey
BRT Chimalhuacán
BRT Tampico
BRT Acapulco
BRT Lechería
BRT Tijuana
BRT Puebla
Metrobus Line 5
BRT Monterrey
BRT Villahermosa
BRT Cd. Azteca - Tecámac
BRT Toluca
Authorized
Under review
Tren Sub 1 Cuautitlán
BRT Oaxaca
BT Puebla 2
Tren LRT Guadalajara
BRT Pachuca
BRT Cd Juarez
BRT León
Under construction

28. Opposition from private bus operators to bus transport
improvements, including BRT systems
Institutional capacity to design and implement BRT projects
Despite rapid implementation, BRT systems are influenced
by the time of political appointments
Scrapping buses only in a limited number of cases; in most
cases “replaced buses” are reallocated in other areas
Limited strategies to socialize the project to the public both
before and after completion
Challenges in the planning and implementation process

29. 0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
0
5
10
15
20
25
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
CumulativeNumberofCities
NewCitiesTracking BRT Adoption: Expanding Mobility
Around the World
2010: Guangzhou, Hefei, Yancheng, Zaozhuang – China;
Jaipur - India; Bangkok - Thailand; East London Transit –
UK; Barranquilla, Bucaramanga – Colombia;
Ecatepec- Mexico; Lima - Peru; Brampton – Canada; …
2000: Bogotá
(TransMilenio),
Colombia
1974: Curitiba
source: BRTdata.org, April, 2013

30. BRT Use is Expanding Around the World
source: EMBARQ, 2011
Planned / in
construction
(83 cities)
In expansion
(23 cities)
In operation
(156 cities)

31. Flickr user: mariordo59
Curitiba, Colombia Delhi, India
Guangzhou, China Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

32. Non-motorized
mobility
Public Transport
Public Spaces
Compact
development
with mixed-uses
Ground Floor for
commercial use
Parking & car
management
Community
Participation
Rethinking Urban Development: Mobility

33. Solutions need to be integrated and enable
accessibility
First step of innovation is easy – continuation is the
main challenge
Only managing the supply, but not the demand is
insufficient
Institutional arrangement is a pre-condition for
enabling change
National financial framework can help to upscale
solutions
Final remarks

34. Thank you

35. Holger Dalkmann - HDalkmann@wri.org
EMBARQ.org
TheCityFix.com
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