Information AboutTransantiago |
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of the new Transantiago system]] Transantiago is a deep and comprehensive improvement plan for the , at the bicentennial of the country's independence. Details Transantiago's first stage of implementation began on , the older buses will be completely replaced by over 4,600 new vehicles. Objectives
New lines structure After the full implementation of the plan, bus services will be divided into two subsystems. The first subsystem corresponds to the main bus lines , which complementing the of Santiago. New fare structure An integrated fares scheme will be introduced for buses and metro, allowing to transfer for free or paying a small transfer charge. This fare scheme considers two basic fares (local and main fares), in addition to the transfer fares. The local fare will allow local trips inside a local area, also allowing free transfers between local services in that area. The main fare will be a little higher and will allow trips both in the main bus lines and metro, including free transfers between them. Finally, a transfer fare will have to be paid when transferring between a main bus service (or metro) and a local service. This transfer fare will be much smaller than the basic fares. As was before, students will be allowed to pay reduced fares, at 35% of the normal ones. Fares will be adjusted periodically, according to the changes in the main input prices (fuel, etc.) of the operators. The way in which the fare adjustments is calculated has been established in the operation contracts. Therefore, neither operators nor the authorities will be able to change the fares at will. Payment system and finance administration The main payment system of Transantiago will be a Contactless Smartcard called Multivía, which was previously operated by the metro. This card will be used both in buses and metro as a prepaid card. The access to the reduced or free transfer fares will only be possible when using this card, as the electronic system associated to the card will automatically recognise if the user is starting his trip or just making a transfer. In this was, the system can decide if the basic fare has to be charged or if a transfer or free fare applies. Passengers which do not have the card may pay in cash, but a higher fare without possibility of reduced transfers. The operation of the payment system was tendered to a private company. Its main tasks are the distribution and charging of the card, the administration of the revenues and the payment to the operators, according to the rules established in the contracts. Users' information Another component of the system is the information manager and users' information provider, which will be tendered to a private company. Its main tasks are: provide information for the users both before and after the implementation of the system, provide information about the localisation of the buses to the operators and coordinate emergencies with the relevant bodies. Vehicles Until 2010 there will be both new Transantiago-standard and old buses in operation. In copmarison to the old buses of Santiago, the main novelties of the new ones are that they will have at least 50% of low floor and that they have a blocknig system that does not allow the movement of the bus before all doors are closed. Since 2003, all new buses in Santiago fullfil the emission norm Euro III . After the implementation of the new lines structure, the main bus lines will be operated with articulated (18 meters long) and normal buses, while the local services will be operated with normal buses and minibuses. Technical characteristics of the vehicles Most of the low-floor buses for Transantiago were built by Volvo . Several operating companies of Transantiago bought 1,157 articulated buses B9SALF and 510 normal (12 meters long) buses B7RLE . The articulated B9SALF Volvo bus has a capacity of approximately 160 passengers, four double doors, 100% low floor, a length of 18.5 meters and a wide of 2.5 meters. The engine is on the left side between the first and second axis (i.e. behind the driver) and has a power of 340 hp. More technical information can be found in the technical specifications of the Volvo B9SALF . The Volvo B7RLE bus, with a capacity of approximately 80 passengers, has three double doors and low floor between the first and second doors. It has a length of 12 meters and a wide of 2.5 meters. The engine is in the back of the vehicle and has 7,000 cm³. Additional technical information can be found in the technical specifications of the Volvo B7RLE . References
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