Macrobus is the first BRT system in the Mexican state of Jalisco.

Guadalajara, Mexico is expected to open the first line of its brand new bus rapid transit (BRT) system, known as Macrobus, along the bustling Calzada Independencia avenue in February.

The state of Jalisco's unprecedented transit network includes three planned corridors, with a 16-kilometer trunk line, 13 feeder routes and a light rail route. It also features a sophisticated fare integration system never before seen in Mexico.

The accomplishment was made possible through technical and financial support from EMBARQ – The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport and the Center for Sustainable Transport Mexico (CTS-México), which have been working with city officials since 2006 to ease traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, and improve public transportation in the city of four million people. A formal relationship between CTS-México and the Governor of Jalisco was established in September last year.

Funding for the Macrobus project was provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), which contributed $250,000 to help with the implementation stage. Consulting was provided by transport advisors from Steer Davies Gleave and GSD PLUS, as well as logistics experts from Logitrans.

Guadalajara's new BRT line comes just four years after CTS-México helped Mexico City launch Metrobus, a BRT system that now carries 320,000 passengers per day. The transit system’s success is expected to inspire similar projects in the region, especially if it receives more attention during the 2011 Pan-American Games, which Guadalajara is hosting.

"The opening of Macrobus represents the beginning of an important effort from the local government to enhance quality of life for its citizens, offer better public transport services, reduce car trips, and reduce air pollution," says CTS-México Media Coordinator Jonathan Vázquez Betancourt. "The project is considered to be the most important investment in sustainable transport and urban mobility in Jalisco."