Transmetro (Guatemala): Difference between revisions

| '''Fleet size''' || 193 total <br> 151 articulated <br> 42 rigid

Guatemala City has historically counted on private companies to provide the transportation needs of its citizens. In the 1990s, the municipality attempted to restructure the bus system by buying new buses and withdrawing buses with more than 20 years of service. The city bought 50 articulated Volvo buses and 750 standard units (from the Brazilian firm Caio and Mexican firm Masa) to lease to the private operators for 8 years. These buses entered service on July 1, 1998<ref>[https://www.prensalibre.com/hemeroteca/transporte-urbano-es-reestructurado/ 1998: entran en circulación los buses gusanos] ''www.prensalibre.com'' Retrieved April 20, 2020.</ref>. 44 of the articulated units or gusanos (worms) were used on the V21 and V22 routes, with 6 going to private routes 70, 72, 77, T1200, 1, and 10. After a number of years however, the private companies were not able to pay back the municipality, so the city took 48 articulated buses back (one was burned and another was damaged beyond repair) and put them into storage. A BRT system was first proposed in 1999, but the municipality began real plans in 2004. The first phase, called Eje Sur (South Axis), was scheduled to open on December 2004, but it was pushed back to 2005, then 2006, and finally 2007, when it finally opened.

The number of each line is the Zona (Zone) that is either ends in or primarily serves (E.g. Line 12 runs to Zona 12, Line 13 to Zona 13, Line 6 to Zona 6). Almost all lines, except Line 21, serve the historic city center in Zona 1. Some lines can have different services, including local, express, semi-express, direct, and night services. Lines 12 and 13 are the only true BRT corridors, with lanes fully separted from traffic, while the other lines run in mixed traffic. The fleet consists of a combination of articulated 18/19-meter (60/62.34-feet), biarticulated 25-meter (82-feet), and rigid 15-meter (49.21 feet) units, while standard 12-meter (40-feet) units are reserved for feeder lines.

Transmetro is not to be confused with the [[Transurbano (Guatemala)|Transurbano]] public bus system that is run by the Sistema Integrado Guatemalteco de Autobuses (Guatemalan Integrated Bus System or SIGA) nor with the red buses run by the Asociación de Empresarios de Autobuses Urbanos (Association of Urban Bus Entrepreneurs or UEAU). Likewise, [[TransMIO|TransMIO]] is a different system that serves the neighboring city of Villa Nueva in the south, and so are the Express Roosevelt, Express Naranjo, and Express Minerva lines that are run by the Municipality of Mixco in the west.

Opened on February 3, 2007. The line starts in Zona 1, serves Zonas 3, 8, and 11, and runs southwest on Avenida (Avenue) Bolivar and Calzada (Boulevard) Raúl Aguilar Batres before ending at the Estación Centra Sur terminal in the Villa Nueva municipality. The line uses articulated and biarticulated units. The Transmetro alimentadores (feeder lines) that serve Estación Centra Sure use standard units. A connection can be made to the TransMIO system at Centra Sur.

Opened on April 14, 2010. It is divided into two sections. The main section starts in Zona 1, serves Zonas 4 and 9, and runs to the south, ending at Estación Hangares. Passengers then transfer to the southern section of Line 13, which runs further south from Estación Hangares to Estación Plaza Berlín. The line uses articulated and rigid units.

Opened on August 25, 2014. The main service starts in Zona 1, serves Zona 6, and ends in the northeast at Estación Atlántida in Zona 18. An express peak-only service runs from Estación Plaza Barrios in Zona 1 and runs even further northeast. It makes only two stops in Zone 18, both which are unique to this express service. The line uses articulated and rigid units.

Opened on January 23, 2016. The line starts in Zona 1 at the San Sebastián transfer station with Line 1 and runs north to Estación Hipódromo. An express service runs from Estación San Sebastián to Estación Universidad Mariano Gálvez (Mariano Gálvez University or UMG). The line uses rigid units.

Opened on October 21, 2017<ref>[https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/servicio-de-transmetro-llegara-a-la-zona-21-a-partir-de-este-fin-de-semana/ Servicio de Transmetro empieza a funcionar en la zona 21 este sábado] ''www.prensalibre.com'' Retrieved April 13, 2020.</ref>. The peak-only line runs from Zona 12 to Zona 21, starting at Estación Trébolito (which is a small walk from the bigger Estación Trébol on Line 12) and ending at Alcaldía Auxiliar, while serving the important Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (San Carlos University of Guatemala or USAC) at an intermediate station. The line uses articulated units.

Opened on September 30, 2019. The newest line in the system, it runs on the Anillo Periférico (Peripheral Ring) beltway from the historic center in Zona 1 to USAC in Zona 12, serving Zonas 7 and 11. The line uses articulated and biarticulated units.

A single fare is Q1.00 ($0.13) is paid in coins, with the exception of Line 21, which is Q2.00 ($0.26). A pre-paid card called SIGA (used on Transurbano) was available for Transmetro until November 25, 2015 when the system returned to coin-only payment. In February 2020 the mayor of the city announced a new pre-paid contactless smartcard that would accept credit card, debit cart, and cell phone recharges<ref>[https://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/comunitario/transmetro-utilizara-sistema-digital-de-tarjeta-prepago-anuncia-municipalidad-capitalina/ Transmetro utilizará sistema de tarjeta prepago, anuncia municipalidad capitalina] ''www.laprensalibre.com'' Retrieved April 13, 2020.</ref>.

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|2017

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|239-242 (Unknown number of units)

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|240, 255, 260, 263, 284, 299, 344, 394, 425, 441, 472, 475, 477-478, 533,

C01-C04, C07, C09, DDS-03-DDS005, TC001, various unnumbered units