Macri inaugurates new Metrobus transport system

City Mayor Mauricio Macri inaugurated the new Metrobus this morning, a transport system that began circulation along Juan B. Justo Avenue today. The service hopes to unite the Palermo and Liniers city neighbourhoods, and Macri also assured that passengers “will make up 40% of their normal journey time,” using the new service.

“The main benefit of the Metrobus is the time that people will save when travelling. Passengers are going to be able to save 40% of their time everyday. It’ll be approximately 44 minutes per day. It’s a lot of time,” Macro said during a press interview on board the first bus which made its first journey today along Juan B. Justo Avenue.

The Metrobus public transport system was inaugurated today at 11AM at junction of Santa Fe and Juan B. Justo streets. The Metrobus aims to reduce passenger journey times by 40 minutes between Palermo and Liniers.

The transport system includes the use two 12.5km long bus lanes; created to ensure the new Metrobus had priority along Juan B. Justo Avenue against other regular city buses. The aim of the new project was to save passenger journey times, although neighbours and legislators alike have said that the idea was not very well developed.

The bus line, similar to the ex-Bendy Bus system in London, will use the number 34 and 166 lines, which will circulate at a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour and have 21 stops along its route, including its first and final destinations.

The bus project was announced in 2008, is also similar to bus systems used in 150 cities around the world. Due to the fact that two new lanes will be used specifically for the Metrobus, the city government has announced strict fines for motorists who abuse the system, and try to drive within these lanes.

Neighbours from the Liniers Norte group protested against the new system saying that, “there is no more care being taken over the environment” and assured that this system will create many more “large bus projects which will take over the local area.”

He furthered that “road accidents have increased in the area, along local roads and Juan B. Justo Avenue, causing fears that the new system will worsen the figures.”