Optibus
Encyclopedia
Optibus is a bus rapid transit
(BRT) system operating in León, Guanajuato
, Mexico
. Locally it is known also as "La Oruga" (the caterpillar), due to its use of articulated bus
es. Most of the Optibus route uses city streets, but with dedicated bus lanes and high-level platform stations. The system was inaugurated on September 27, 2003. León was the first city in Mexico to implement a BRT system. In some respects it is similar to other Latin American BRT systems such as the Mexico City
Metrobús
, the Guadalajara
Macrobus
, the Bogotá
Transmilenio
, the Guatemala City
Transmetro
, and the Monterrey
Transmetro.
León is one of the few cities in Mexico that has a modern, municipally operated bus transit system and utilizes prepaid farecards
(known as Pagobus), as opposed to the traditional Mexican pesero
system of individual bus owner-operators collecting cash fares. The prepaid farecard system was put in place about four years before the Optibus system.
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
(BRT) system operating in León, Guanajuato
León, Guanajuato
The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Locally it is known also as "La Oruga" (the caterpillar), due to its use of articulated bus
Articulated bus
An articulated bus is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usually a single-deck design, and comprises two rigid sections linked by a pivoting joint...
es. Most of the Optibus route uses city streets, but with dedicated bus lanes and high-level platform stations. The system was inaugurated on September 27, 2003. León was the first city in Mexico to implement a BRT system. In some respects it is similar to other Latin American BRT systems such as the Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
Metrobús
Mexico City Metrobús
Metrobús is a bus rapid transit system in Mexico City, Mexico. It comprises 3 lines that traverse the city and connect with other forms of transit. It was officially opened to the public with service along Line 1 on 19 June 2005...
, the Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
Macrobus
Guadalajara Macrobus
The Guadalajara Macrobus is a bus rapid transit system in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The initiation of work on the system was announced by Jalisco Governor Emilio González Márquez on February 29, 2008...
, the Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
Transmilenio
TransMilenio
TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit system that serves Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. The system opened to the public in December 2000, covering Av. Caracas and Calle 80...
, the Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
Transmetro
Transmetro
Transmetro is a bus rapid transit system in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Service began with its first line opening on February 3, 2007. Unlike other bus routes in Guatemala City, it is serviced by a fleet of modern Volvo buses made by Ciferal in Brasil. The buses have fixed stops and partly run on...
, and the Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
Transmetro.
León is one of the few cities in Mexico that has a modern, municipally operated bus transit system and utilizes prepaid farecards
Stored-value card
A stored-value card refers to monetary value on a card not in an externally recorded account and differs from prepaid cards where money is on deposit with the issuer similar to a debit card...
(known as Pagobus), as opposed to the traditional Mexican pesero
Pesero
A pesero is a form of public transport, most commonly seen in Mexico City. Its name derives from the fact that the first incarnations of this form of transport charged a flat fee of one peso per ride .First seen in the 1970's as the so-called taxi colectivo , peseros were originally...
system of individual bus owner-operators collecting cash fares. The prepaid farecard system was put in place about four years before the Optibus system.