Green light for Mexico bus lanes

20 March 2012 – A massive expansion of the innovative bus system in Mexico City has been given the green light. It will see the existing Metrobus system - introduced in 2005 and now carrying 263,000 passengers a day – extended from 20 to 220 km as part of a new five-year partnership designed to ‘green’ Mexico City’s transport system.

Metrobus functions like an above-ground subway in which large buses travel in dedicated lanes and stop at special stations. It already carries more than a quarter of a million passengers each day along Mexico City's Insurgentes A

nue, one of the longest and busiest streets in the world. The two-year old "bus rapid transit" (BRT) system has also shortened commute times by up to an hour and reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The scheme demonstrates that even the largest cities can, by making the Smart Move, successfully pursue sustainable development, simultaneously promoting economic growth, environmental protection, and public health in order to improve the lives of residents.