Skip to main content

Chile's public transport service improves, study says

According to a study carried out by Santiago’s metropolitan transport department DTP Transantiago, the mass transport system operating in the Chilean capital has increased the number of buses operating and has improved frequency indicators in the last year. All seven companies operating different corridors within Santiago put more buses on the streets and exceeded the 90 per cent ratio set as the minimum to comply with regulations in the last three months of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012. Metb
February 20, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
According to a study carried out by Santiago’s metropolitan transport department DTP 5348 Transantiago, the mass transport system operating in the Chilean capital has increased the number of buses operating and has improved frequency indicators in the last year.

All seven companies operating different corridors within Santiago put more buses on the streets and exceeded the 90 per cent ratio set as the minimum to comply with regulations in the last three months of 2013 compared to the same period of 2012. Metbus was the top operator performance at 99.1 per cent, while Alsacia came last with 92.4 per cent.

All seven companies improved in frequency, with STP as the most regular bus operator, with a 90.4 per cent ratio. Alsacia was still below the 80 per cent minimum ratio required, at 77 per cent. Concessionaire Express, which a year ago was below the 88 per cent threshold, has now met the minimum target.

Transantiago was introduced in 2007 to improve public transportation by lowering the number of buses and optimising routes, but implementation was rushed, and changes in the seven years since it was introduced have been unable to solve what were initially seen as teething problems. The system has needed constant public funding, and over the past six years the government has injected over US$10bn to keep the system going.

Related Content

  • February 26, 2020
    Siemens: self-driving minibuses are the future of first-/last-mile
    Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens Mobility, talks to ITS International about safety and why it is important for cities to offer additional shared and connected transit options.
  • August 15, 2013
    Positive outlook for Q-Free
    Q-Free reported revenue of US$25 million for the second quarter 2013, an increase of 29 per cent from the same quarter last year. Operating profit (EBIT) improved to a positive US$51,000 from an operating loss of US$3.8 million in the same period last year. Loss before tax was reduced to US$391,000 from a loss of US$3.9 in the second quarter 2012. The improved earnings mainly reflect changes in the revenue composition, with higher product and service and maintenance revenue.
  • June 16, 2020
    Speed limits: is 20 really plenty?
    Speed kills – which means cutting speed should cut collisions. But is it that simple?
  • April 8, 2014
    UK defaults to hard shoulder running to expand motorway capacity
    Hard shoulder running has become the UK’s default response to increasing motorway capacity as Colin Sowman reports. Facing a predicted 46% increase in traffic levels by 2040 and the current economic recovery leading to more people travelling to, from and for work leaves the UK government under short- and long-term pressure to increase the capacity on the main motorway network. Particular sections of motorways are already experiencing repeated, sometimes tidal, congestion and both tight Treasury limits and t