The Old Fashioned Transit Solution In Brazil

A look at how Sao Paulo's extensive bus system keeps the crowded Brazilian city's 18 million residents moving.

1 minute read

June 9, 2007, 1:00 PM PDT

"For the past five decades, congestion has gotten steadily worse in this Brazilian megacity, South America's largest, with 18.3 million people scattered throughout its metropolitan area."

"Plenty of people have thought long and hard about how to keep the city moving-literally. More subway and commuter rail lines are on the way, but they are coming slowly and at great expense. Seeking alternatives, transportation experts here turned to an option that was already on the streets: the bus."

"With 26,391 buses, 1908 lines, 34 transfer stations, and 146.5 kilometers of dedicated busways, São Paulo operates what is currently the world's most complex bus system. Extending from bustling downtown avenues to narrow neighborhood streets, this sprawling network of lines is the basis of public transportation here. One in every five paulistanos-as residents of São Paulo are called-hops on a bus every day to go to work, school, or other destinations."

FULL STORY: How to Keep 18 Million People Moving

Thursday, June 7, 2007 in IEEE Spectrum

Transportation Central and South America

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