BusTalk

[Cyberider]

From the Santiago Times:

Officials Plan To Replace “Caterpillar” Buses In Chile’s Capital |
Written by Alanna Nunez
Thursday, 05 August 2010 07:00

They are expensive and loud, and do not adapt well to Santiago’s streets. For this reason, local government officials are looking into gradually phase out articulated buses, known as "caterpillar buses,” and replace them with something more efficient, La Nacion reported Wednesday.

The buses have been criticized for being long and unwieldy, and for having a turning radius of about 55 degrees that hampers their ability to make sharp turns.

“These buses were intended to be able to carry a greater number of passengers,” said Transportation Minister Felipe Morandé. “However, the design is bad, and the reality is that Santiago’s infrastructure and geography make it pretty impractical to use these buses. On top of all that, they are very fuel inefficient.”

Right now about 1,500 articulated buses are used in a fleet of about 6,400 buses. These will be gradually phased out in five to eight years, Morandé said. “We’re hoping to replace them with shorter vehicles that will carry fewer passengers,” he said.

Although the number of regular buses might have to be increased to match the capacity of the articulated buses, the actual capacity of those buses is less than originally anticipated, authorities say. So the number of regular buses is not expected to increase dramatically.

Hector Moya, director of SuBus Chile, a public transport company that operates in Santiago, disagreed with the government’s assessment of the articulated buses, arguing that what was really needed were more and better roads.

SOURCE: LA NACION
By Alanna Nunez