This Wednesday Mayor Claudia López, in the company of Felipe Ramírez, manager of TransMilenio, announced to the public two pieces of news that jump-starts a new era in the TRANSMILENIO S.A. Integrated Public Transport System of Bogotá: the renewal of TransMiApp, the official application of the System, and the purchase of 406 electric buses for the zonal component. With buses of the latest technology, zero emissions and new technologies to communicate with users, the administration is committed to renewing the System.
“Today we advance in two important Development Plan purposes and we want to say with great pride that we ended the year with good news: the new update of TransMiApp, which will tell the user where the bus is and how soon it will arrive at the location where they are expected. In addition, we added 406 electric buses, which are added to the 483 that will come into operation between now and the first half of 2021, ”said Mayor Claudia López, adding that the main objective is to improve the travel experience of users.
With TransMiApp you have all the information about the System in your hand
The main innovation of the application, which from now on will be available to the public in the last update of the TransMiApp, is the real-time query of where the bus is and the approximate time of arrival, both for zone vehicles and terminals. This function operates in a similar way to how Uber and Beat shared mobility applications do, where the user can see on a map on their cell phone where the car is and how long it will take to arrive.
“Improving the travel experience of our users is not reduced to the acquisition of a new fleet and the scheduling of services, it also covers other fields so that they can better relate to the System. This is where, through technology, with TransMiApp we find a very good tool so that the user can know everything they need from the System, directly from the source ”, commented Felipe Ramírez, General Manager of TRANSMILENIO S.A.
With this function, users will have more and better information to schedule their trips and make decisions about the means of transport they want to use. It is worth clarifying that the waiting times are not exact, but an approximate one, as there may be external variables on the road that affect the schedules. In addition, the algorithm that calculates the times is in a constant learning process so that it can be increasingly accurate.
For users, this function is useful when they are going to use the regional and terminal services, since they will know the estimated arrival times of the next bus, with a maximum difference of three minutes. With that information they will be able to make travel decisions.
Other new features that TransMiApp has are:
• Save your home or work address to facilitate travel planning.
• Depending on the user's location, it shows the closest station or zone location, less than 5 minutes away on foot.
• Interactive planning of the trip choosing the origin and destination directly on the map.
• Buttons with shortcuts for easier navigation.
To enjoy these new functions, it is essential to update the application with the latest version. Those who have not yet downloaded it, can do so in the Google Play Store (Andriod), Apple App Store and Huawei AppGallery, as the application is available for these three operating systems.
In future versions of the application, layers will be enabled on the base map, where - by activating and deactivating the layers - the user will be able to choose what information he or she wants to see: terminal stations and their routes, zone stops and services that stop there and traffic in the city.
406 new electric buses for Bogotá
In a public hearing TRANSMILENIO S.A. handed in 2 functional units for the provision and operation of 406 electric buses in the locality of Fontibón. This contract corresponds to the bidding processes TMSA-LP-03-2020 for provision and TMSA-LP-04-2020 for operation, where the proponents ESTRUCTURA PLURAL ZONAL MOVIL PROVISIÓN and ESTRUCTURA PLURAL ZONAL MOVIL OPERACIÓN were selected, respectively for each process, with a coupled proposal for UF 6 - Fontibón III and UF 17 - Fontibón V.
"We went from tail to the head in a clean, electric, zero emissions fleet for the Bogotá of the XXI century. To the extent that we have a clean, non-polluting, predictable mass public transport system, respectful of citizens' time and for sure, without a doubt we will improve the experience of our users, "said Mayor Claudia López.
These new buses will operate in 15 area routes departing from Fontibón and will directly benefit about 150,000 users who are expected to use them. In addition, Bogotá will benefit from better air quality, since electric buses produce zero emissions of particulate matter and will replace highly polluting vehicles of the provisional system.
"At TRANSMILENIO S.A. We are committed to making the System cleaner. That is why we are in the process of technological ascent of the terminal and zonal fleet to continue reducing our emissions. These 406 electric buses are another very important step in this regard, with which we ratify that migration to new technologies can be done gradually and responsibly ”, commented Felipe Ramírez, General Manager of TRANSMILENIO S.A.
The contract for these 406 buses represents an investment of $ 1.26 billion corresponding to the provision of the fleet and $ 1.41 billion in the operation of the buses for 15 years, the estimated duration of the concession contracts.
With this new fleet, which will enter into operation in the second half of 2021, Bogotá will be ratified as the capital of electric mobility in the country and a benchmark for Latin America. These 406 electric buses are added to the 483 received in the previous process, and will gradually come into operation between the end of this year and the first half of next year in the Burroughs of Suba, Fontibón and Usme. Thus, Bogotá will have a fleet of 889 electric buses.
This purchase is part of the process called Phase V, which seeks to extend the coverage of the Integrated Public Transport System (SITP) to the entire city, since currently some areas in Usme, Fontibón, Perdomo, San Cristóbal and Suba Centro are still served by the provisional scheme that is not integrated with the SITP.
In this project, TRANSMILENIO S.A. has already tendered and hired in its first two stages 483 electric buses and 794 low-emission buses with the Euro VI emission standard, which will be linked to the System in 2021.
In total, the System has already contracted 1,684 100% electric and low emission buses with Euro VI emission standard for this process of extending the System's coverage to where users need it, leaving them better connected with the rest of the city. All this with the benefits already offered by the System: integrated rates, trips on credit and transfers between $ 0 and $ 200, to name a few.
