Photo courtesy of CTS-México.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and Jalisco Governor Emilio Gonzalez Marquez unveiled the first line of the city’s new bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Guadalajara on March 11, as part of the state government’s effort to provide a high-quality solution to congestion and air pollution.

“Macrobús is going to have a big impact on the city’s public transportation system because it’s going to be faster, cleaner and safer,” says Adriana Lobo, director of the Center for Sustainable Transport Mexico (CTS-México), a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that supported the project, which began construction last February. “It’s a real upgrade to the old network of minibuses, which were old, inefficient and polluting.”

The new Macrobús corridor spans 16 kilometers along Calzada Independencia, one of the city’s most iconic but congested avenues. The system’s fleet of 41 articulated buses will operate on exclusive car-free lanes with frequent pick-ups from the 27 stations that integrate with the city’s existing bus routes and light rail lines. It is expected to serve 130,000 passengers per day.

At the opening ceremony, President Calderón expressed his support of the new system.

“I am convinced that the problems of traffic congestion, air contamination, the loss of time spent on excessively long trips, discomfort to transport system users, and transit accidents can be resolved through developing effective transportation mechanisms like Macrobus,” he said.

Unlike a conventional bus system, BRT features accordion-style buses with multiple doorways and pre-paid electronic ticketing, as well as permanent bus stations with elevated platforms, similar to a subway or rail system.

Lobo says Macrobús will reduce travel times and prevent traffic accidents, two of the main concerns for the city’s residents. In addition, the system will help to fight global warming.

The new corridor is the first of three planned lines, scheduled for completion by 2012. The project has reduced travel time by 30 percent and is expected to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 36,000 metric tons per year, equivalent to removing about 7,000 cars from the roads.

The BRT system is the first of its kind in Jalisco, where Gov. Marquez has made it a priority to improve the quality of life for his constituents by building a better mass transit network. The governor tapped Diego Monraz Villaseñor, director of Mexico’s urban rail operator, SITEUR, with the ambitious task of planning and implementing the Macrobús system in just two years.

“Without the governor’s leadership, a project like this, done in such a short amount of time, would have been impossible,” Lobo says.

Macrobús is expected to inspire similar projects in the region, especially during the highly anticipated 2011 Pan-American Games, which Guadalajara is hosting.

Macrobús was made possible through technical and financial support from EMBARQ – The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C., and CTS-México, part of EMBARQ’s international network of sustainable transport organizations. CTS-México staff provided technical expertise during the planning and implementation stages, and will continue to support the start-up operations.

Previously, CTS-México helped launch Mexico City’s Metrobús, a BRT system that now carries 320,000 passengers per day.

“Bus rapid transit has now expanded to the second largest city in the country, so it will serve as a model for other cities to follow,” Lobo says. “This is an important step for Mexico towards sustainable mobility.”