Pedro Kumamoto, Jalisco’s only independent state legislator, believes an opportunity is being wasted if plans to construct a BRT bus line on the city Periferico (beltway) are put on the back burner by the state government.
Reports suggest that the advanced plans to construct this much-needed bus route may be shelved because the state government is reluctant to run up more debt while the costly third Tren Ligero (subway) line is unfinished.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a transportation concept that uses dedicated stations and lanes to delivers a fast, comfortable and cost-effective service in large-sized urban areas. Guadalajara’s only line, the Macrobus, runs along the length of the Calzada Independencia, and carries around 220,000 passengers a month.
Kumamoto points out that access to a federal credit line of 640 million pesos from Mexico’s Treasury (Hacienda) that is available to partially fund the BRT Periferico project – known as the Peribus – will expire in March. These funds will then be redirected to other projects, possibly not in Jalisco.
A series of expensive studies on the Peribus route and its viability have already been carried out, Kumamoto says. These show that the BRT line could carry 354,000 passengers a month, one-third more than the Tren Ligero Line Three. At around 3.3 billion pesos, the construction cost is also 80 percent cheaper, the legislator noted.
According to Jalisco Traffic Department (Semov) Secretary Servando Sepúlveda, the state government is examining a “plan B” that could utilize the federal credit line to purchase 400 electric buses to replace all the diesel units currently in use on the Periferico.
The state government has acknowledged that the Peribus project can only go ahead with a significant amount of private investment, in addition to state and federal funding.