Editor's Note: John P. Bartosiewicz was the team leader of the 14-member group that
participated in the recent International Transit Studies Program trip to five cities in
South America. An article on that trip appeared in the June 22 issue of International
Focus.
By John P. Bartosiewicz
General Manager
Fort Worth Transportation Authority
Fort Worth, Texas
The recent International Transit Studies Program trip to South America included five
cities--Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay: and Porto Alegre, Curitiba, and Sao
Paulo, Brazil--which were selected with an eye toward learning from their experience and
seeing how transit professionals in the United States could apply their use of private
operation of public transportation.
The cities and transit system visited ranged in size from fairly large (Porto Alegre,
with a population of 1.3 million and 1,500 buses) to massive (Sao Paulo, with a population
of 20 million and 11,000 buses and several rail modes). However, they all shared several
unifying characteristics:
- all bus operations are privately owned, operated, and making a profit under some degree
of government oversight;
- people in South American cities use transit heavily even though auto ownership is on the
increase; and
- contrary to expectations, fares are relatively high (i.e. $1 for a subway fare in Sao
Paulo) and wages are competitive (the average bus operator in South America makes as much
as a policeman).
In an environment with transit ridership in the hundreds of millions annually, even in
cities of just over one million population, the logical question becomes, what can we
learn to mimic their success.
While the entire trip was an eye-opening experience for the study team, the group came
away with some key observations and lessons about applicability to the United States. In
general terms, the casual observer might conclude that the attitude toward transit in
South America is so different that not much can be brought home. The argument would be
that the culture for transit in South America is very different. The ride quality does not
match U.S. standards and our citizens would never accept the crowding and lack of basic
amenities like air conditioning that are the hallmarks of the bus systems visited. This
might be correct, but there are many things to learn if you look beneath the surface of
that simple analysis.
First, privatization of transit in South America is done in many different ways, some
components of which might hold promise for U.S. applications.
For example, in Sao Paulo, bus concessionaires are evaluated and allowed to keep routes
based on opinion surveys of customers. This could be incorporated as a component of
private sector contracts in the U.S.
In Montevideo, the private bus companies compete for full fare paying customers, keep
all that revenue, and receive, not a direct subsidy, but payment by the government for
what are called "social fares." These are reduced fare tickets for students, the
elderly, and persons with disabilities that the private companies sell to customers at a
discount but are reimbursed by the government on a full fare basis.
In most cases, the government also helps by constructing the infrastructure for all
operations. These investments range from subway systems to bus transfer centers.
Secondly, South America taught us that cities that work are built around their transit
systems. This is true especially for "mega-cities" like Sao Paulo. All the most
popular malls in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo are also bus transit centers, commuter rail
stations, or subway stops.
In Curitiba, the city constructs "Citizenship Streets" at the major radial
bus terminals. These are municipal service centers where residents can get all local,
state, and federal services.
In Porto Alegre, busways provide great commuter service and are used as bike trails on
weekends. We can use these examples and others like them to further transit projects here.
Finally, despite the desires of the pundits and some policy makers, South America
proves that you can't make it on buses alone. Even in Curitiba, the prime example for bus
transit, the city is now struggling with how to build rail to handle the demand. Porto
Alegre has a wonderful bus system and integrates it with a pre-Metro system to further
economic development.
One of the biggest transit issues in Sao Paulo is bus congestion. With 11,000 buses in
daily operation, the city is looking for ways to build higher capacity systems that reduce
the number of buses needed in peak service.
It also helps in South America that government has supportive policies for public
transportation. In Brazil, people can only spend 6 percent of their income for
transportation. Any amount above that is required to be paid by their employer, who gets a
tax deduction for the amount. In some Brazilian cities, 50 percent of the transit users
receive some form of subsidy from their employer.
None of us who went on this trip will forget the exhilarating feeling of seeing such
well-used bus and rail systems.
Our only hope is we can help our cities on the road to the same place without a crisis
forcing the issue.
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