Tom visiting 2 Colombian cities to observe transport systems

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will be visiting two cities in Colombia in the next two days to observe their respective bus rapid transit systems.

City Planning and Development coordinating officer Nigel Paul Villarete said the visit of the mayor and his wife Margot was arranged upon the invitation of former Bogota mayor Enrique Peñalosa and supported by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy.

According to the itinerary prepared by ITDP, Osmeña will visit the cities of Bogota and Pereira to observe the TransMilenio and the Megabus.

Today, Peñalosa will host the Osmeñas to a meeting and dinner to know extensive details about TransMilenio after a visit to all its depots and stations.

Bogota is the capital city of Colombia in South America, the third city in the world to have implemented the most successful BRT.

TransMilenio was established during the term of Peñalosa in 1999-2002 and patterned after the world-renowned Rede Integrada de Transport of Curitiba, Brazil.

“TransMilenio is considered today as the leading example of affordable yet efficient public mass transport system which can move more passengers than 95 percent of the world’s rail-based and subway transport systems at a fifth of their capital cost, thereby making it a very attractive option especially for developing countries and cities,” Villarete said.

For July 1 and 2, they will be in city of Pereira, which recently implemented the BRT Megabus.

Villarete said observing Periera City’s Megabus will give the mayor an idea of how Cebu City’s own BRT will be like considering that both localities are of the same size.

In Pereira, they will be met by Mayor Israel Londoño and Monica Vanegas, the general manager of Pereira’s Megabus. 

On July 3, they will fly to Houston, Texas, for the mayor’s checkup at M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute.

The mayor is set to return to Cebu in July 14 after spending two days with his son Miguel in Los Angeles. — Ferliza C. Contratista/BRP (THE FREEMAN)