Transantiago!

Personally I did not know the transport system before Transantiago, since I have only been living in this city for a year and a half. But I do remember from my visits to Santiago that the streets looked a lot more congested and disorderly, the micros were driving all over the place, not respecting the bus stops, other drivers or passengers. I also believe there had been much more delinquency, it was common that delinquents assaulted the micro drivers that should end the day with profit, and also more passengers were robbed. Santiago is one of the most contaminated cities on a global level, and one of the main causes is the daily circulation of cars. In reality the number of micros has reduced considerably, as well as the problem of traffic in the streets, thus allowing drivers to arrive to their destinations in less time. Also the infrastructure of the streets is greatly improving; now there are routes exclusive to public transportation throughout the entire city, the streets have been modernized and the conditions of the routes and bus stops have improved for the pedestrians.

It is true that when this system was first implemented, everyone was affected, that they committed grave errors of implementation, of information and of finance, but it is also true that if Santiago continued with the previous system the contamination and congestion today would be unbearable. Today the system has greatly improved the quality of the streets and micros are very good; they have incorporated more routes and more buses, and it is also more comfortable and much safer.

El Transantiago has two main problems: one is the large amount of people who use it every day, I believe one of the few solutions to this is to decentralize the country; and the other problem is that many of the daily passengers do not pay for their trip, and for this I believe that the best solution is to deliver education, culture and respect to the population.