Gleaming, bright-red trolley buses are causing heads to turn on Guadalajara’s major avenues.
Twenty-five new electric buses that draw power from overhead wires are now plying Route 400, home to the original “Par Vial” units that first saw the light of day back in the 1970s.
According to SITEUR Director Rodolfo Guadalajara Gutiérrez, the hybrid buses will also have batteries to allow them to continue their journeys for 30 kilometers should power be cut off.
The buses will transport around 10,000 passengers a day and help toward the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases in the metro area, Guadalajara Gutiérrez says.
The route will be operated by the city’s subway network (Sistema Integral del Tren Ligero or SITEUR) and go under the name Línea 3 del SiTren.
All the buses are equipped with video surveillance cameras, wheelchair access and, in a second stage of the project, will provide free wi-fi access. Eventually, all the buses will be fitted out with a pre-pay card system.
The drivers on the route will wear uniforms, receive a fixed salary and benefits, and work regular hours.
Route 400 is a loop that runs from Los Arcos (City Arches) via Vallarta/Hidalgo and Independencia/Republica to the Mercado Felipe Angeles on the eastern side of the metropolitan area. The entire loop runs about 35 minutes and includes 54 stops.
The buses will pass every five minutes at rush hour and every 12 minutes at other times. They will run from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays.