TransMilenio

Before TransMilenio, Bogotá's mass transit "system" consisted of thousands of independently operated and uncoordinated mini buses. There was also a plan for a network of elevated highways throughout Bogotá, and plans to build a subway as Medellín had done seven years prior. When Enrique Peñalosa was elected mayor he cancelled these projects and oversaw the construction of the initial TransMilenio system at a fraction of the cost.[4]

The mayor created a special company to build the project and run the central system. The operational design of TransMilenio was undertaken by transport consultants Steer Davies Gleave with the financial structuring of the project led by Capitalcorp S.A., a local investment bank. Most of the money required to build TransMilenio was provided by the Colombian central government, while the city of Bogotá provided the remaining 30%.[5]

Within three years after the initiation of the project, the first phase opened in December 2000, covering Caracas Avenue and 80 street. Other lines were added gradually over the next several years. Prior to construction, a 30 km trip by public transport would take 2 hours and 15 minutes in 1998; the same trip using TransMilenio now takes 55 minutes.[4]

In the beginning most buses were diesel-powered, purchased from such manufacturers as the Colombian-Brazilian company Marcopolo-Superior, German conglomerate Mercedes-Benz, and Swedish companies such as Volvo and Scania. The buses were articulated and had a capacity of 160 passengers each. In May 2007, a new, larger bi-articulated bus, with capacity for 270 passengers, was presented to the public.

Bogotá won the first Sustainable Transport Award in 2005 thanks to the BRT system and urban cycling strategy.

On May 2 and 3, 2006, several groups of bus drivers not associated with TransMilenio held a strike, protesting against some elements and consequences of the system. They disagreed with the amount of monetary compensation that they would receive in exchange for the disposal of old buses (10 to more than 20 years old), traffic restrictions on the TransMilenio main lines, and a new Pico y Placa Ambiental in some city areas, that would restrict the schedules of buses older than 10 years to early morning hours to reduce pollution in the city.[6]

Construction of Line K on 26 Avenue

Since the May 2006 expansion, the TransMilenio route system has changed dramatically, with new sections added to the system.

Due to the relatively high price, overcrowding, and delays in the routes hundreds of people mostly students protested and some vandals looted and broke windows on March 9, 2012, causing half a million dollars of damage and 11 injuries. The vandals were confronted and detained by riot police.[7]

Bogotá won the Sustainable Transport Award again in 2022 also thanks to the continue expansion and success of TransMilenio.[8][9] [10]

Bi-articulated bus on Avenida Jiménez

TransMilenio buses are not equipped with transponders to give them priority at traffic signals; regret over this fact was voiced by former general manager of the system, Angelica Castro.[12]

TransMilenio bus at a station

There are six types of stations:

• Sencillas (Simple): local service stations, located approximately every 500 m
• De transferencia (Transfer): allow transfer between different lines through a tunnel
• Sin intercambio (No transfer): do not allow transfer between lanes (north-south, south-north, west-east, east-west); located in the Autopista Norte (due to a stretch of the road), Tunal and 6th Street ramification (due to water channels).
• Intermedias (Intermediate): service both feeder and trunk line.
• Cabecera (Portal): near the entrances to the city. In addition to feeders and articulated buses, intercity buses from the metropolitan area also arrive at these stations.
• Paraderos bus dual (dual-bus stop): located in the streets, these stops don't have turnstiles, electronic boards and the floor level is the same of the street; served by buses with station-level and street-level doors. These stops are located in the pretrunk corridors (AK 7, AV Caracas, AV Suba, AC 80, AV El Dorado).

All stations have electronic boards announcing the approximate arrival time of the next bus. Wait times are short as there is usually a bus serving the station. There are also station attendants to provide assistance to the passengers, and posted system maps.

Users pay at the station entrance using a smart card, pass through a turnstile, and wait for buses inside the station, which is typically 5 m wide.[12] The bus and station doors open simultaneously, and passengers board by simply walking across the threshold. The elevated station platform and the bus floor are at the same height.

TransMilenio stations comply with easy access regulations because they are elevated and have ramps leading to the entrance. The alimentadores (feeders) are normal buses without handicapped accessibility. A lawsuit by disabled user Daniel Bermúdez caused a ruling that all feeder systems must comply with easy access regulations by 2004, but this has not happened yet.

In 2015 a study made by the National University of Colombia revealed that 70% of the air pollution near Transmilenio exits was caused by the buses of the first phase.[29] According to official data, more than 50% of the first and second phase buses were hazardous for the environment because they broke atmospheric emissions rules.[26] There was also a big controversy around the fact that the Transmilenio buses were diesel-powered [30] Some academics, councillors and citizens called the buses dangerous since diesel fuels were carcinogens according to the World Health Organization,[31] and pointed out calls to ban them in other cities like Stuttgart and Stockholm. The new fleet might solve the problem (see below).

Women in Bogotá have stated that the overcrowding in the system makes it easy for criminals to attack women and go unnoticed.[32] According to a 2012 survey conducted by the Secretary for Women's Issues of Bogotá, 64% of women said they have been victims of sexual assault in the system.[33] Several policies have been adopted in order to confront this problem, like an exclusive bus for women,[34] and special undercover policewomen,[35] but none of them have been effective against the problem, and sexual assaults continue to occur in 2018.[36][37][38]

In 2017 and 2018 many incidents with Transmilenio buses had been reported while they were operating. There had been cases of buses being burned due to mechanical problems,[39] one bus broken in half,[40] tires flying off the buses and hitting cars,[41][42] and users reporting that water leaks into the buses when it rains.[43] The new fleet might solve the problem (see below).