NEGOTIATIONS
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Optibus SIT Project Leon (BRT System)
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Focus area: Mitigation
Website
Location: City of Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico
Established: September 2003
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The Integrated Transport System (SIT) in the city of Leon, of which the Optibus BRT is an integral
part, has set out to rearrange the city’s public transport system with prioritization of mass
transit. The SIT aims to create a more efficient, safe and reliable transport system, with reduced
travel time and congestion, improve accessibility for the urban poor and the disabled, while also
reducing emissions.
Optibus BRT system’s first phase was inaugurated in 2003, becoming the first Mexican city to
implement a BRT system with feeders. By 2008, due to its popularity, ridership on Optibus had
exceeded the system's capacity, at 220,000 trips per day. Recognizing there was a strong need to
improve mobility for more people, its second phase was launched in August 2010. To date, total demand
is at 700,000 trips per day, with 92 articulated buses and 69 feeder routes, operating in 30
kilometers of bus-only lines, with 65 stations and 4 main terminals.
Some of the key achievements of the system include:
- Road accidents have decreased by 30%;
- 200 polluting buses were removed from the roads, saving 2 million liters of fuel and reducing
6,000 ton of CO2 per year;
- Transport companies running the system have been modernized.
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Mitigation / Adaptation
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Benefits
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Potential for scaling-up and replication
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Resulting from reduction and renewal of fleet, the system has reduced around 6,000 tons of CO2
per year. These calculations do not take into account the emissions that are reduced due to a
change in transportation modes from private car to the system.
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The most important economic and environmental benefits derive from increased integration
between bus rapid transit, feeder and auxiliary lines, bringing considerable benefits to the
population of the city of León, through reduction of time travel, kilometers driven and
accessibility to the urban
poor.
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Due to the success of the BRT in Leon, cities such as Mexico and Guadalajara replicated the
system with the Metrobus and the Marcrobus respectively. Resulting from the successful
experiences, the national government launched in 2009 the Federal Mass Transit Program
(PROTRAM) to improve urban transport in Mexico. The program provides funds for investment in
mass-transit infrastructure, particularly Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. At the same time, the
local success of the system together with the increasing ridership has prompted the
Municipality of Leon to include a third phase of the SIT (Optibus) in the current government
plans.
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Organizations
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CTS EMBARQ Mexico;
Presidencia Municipal de Leon (Direccion General de Movilidad);
Transporte Coordinado de Leon
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