BRASILIA 06 September 2018 — Curitiba City Mayor Rafael Greca de Macedo received Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro and delegation during their two-day visit on 13-14 August 2018 to the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Paraná.
Ambassador Mauro was in Curitiba to inspect its Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, ahead of a Philippine Congressional study visit on how the BRT may be implemented in the Philippines.
Mayor Greca’s International Relations Office organized a BRT tour for the Ambassador and her party to have a first-hand experience of the bus-based transport system.
Curitiba’s BRT system now serves as the model BRT all over the world. Some countries that have followed the system are the United States, countries in South America, and Asia.
The BRT is a bus system that works like a light rail system but is ten times cheaper. Curitiba’s BRT is the model and source of inspiration for the TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia, TransJakarta in Jakarta, Indonesia, Metrovia in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Emerald Express of Eugene, Oregon, Orange Line of Los Angeles, California, the Strip and Downtown Express in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Transmetro system in Guatemala City, and the Metrobus systems of Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Bangalore, India.
As part of the immersion program, Ambassador Mauro rode the express bus from the central bus terminal in Pinheirinho and then transferred to Linha Verde (green line), negotiating a distance of about 30 kilometers in about 20 minutes.
The BRT system services 85 percent of Curitiba’s population, or around 1.4 million passengers a day. At present, the system provides transit between any point in the city for just a single fare of approximately US$ 1.20.
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For more information, visit www.brasiliape.dfa.gov.ph, www.philembassybrasilia.org, or https://www.facebook.com/PHEmbassyinBrazil.
