Word: transantiago
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...Transantiago has got very severe problems," says Juan Carlos Munoz, professor of transport engineering and logistics at Santiago's Pontifical Catholic University. "It's got better since it was launched but only very slowly. The main problems are still unresolved...
...Munoz blames Transantiago's woes on a lack of infrastructure (there are very few bus lanes, for example), inadequate information, and the government's steadfast refusal to subsidize the project from the outset. Still, with so much anger on the streets, the government simply cannot afford to hike fares to meet the shortfall, even though the system is losing money. Instead, it keeps asking parliament to approve additional funding. In June, Congress agreed a cash injection of $290 million, but last month refused to approve further funds...
...problems afflicting Transantiago have, meanwhile, created a vicious circle. Fed up with poor public transport, people use private cars to get to work. That blocks roads, which delays buses, which makes the transport system worse, and prompts even more commuters to travel by car. Car sales have jumped in recent months, while bicycle shops and scooter outlets are enjoying a roaring trade...
...group of commuters has even launched a class action suit against the government, blaming it for worsening their lives. The suit is unlikely to succeed, but it's a signal of popular discontent. In fact, Transantiago has pounded the approval ratings of President Michelle Bachelet. According to pollsters Adimark GFK, the Socialist Party president's rating slumped to 38.2% in November from over 60% in April 2006. Unsurprisingly, that fall has been sharpest in the capital...
...Bachelet has not hesitated to eat humble pie over Transantiago. She has apologized publicly and, at a recent breakfast with foreign correspondents, said the system's failures caused her "deep pain." The debacle is a particular embarrassment to Chile, which prides itself on being an oasis of order in an often chaotic continent. A parliamentary commission is investigating what went wrong with Transantiago, and its report is not expected to make happy reading. But Santiaguinos will have plenty of time to read it, while waiting on line for buses...