Download_Free_Wallpaper: [MyTuneBD.Com] Pricing public transit: learning from Bangkok

Saturday, February 16, 2008

[MyTuneBD.Com] Pricing public transit: learning from Bangkok

Pricing public transit: learning from Bangkok

Yasmin Chowdhury
When I first visited Bangkok in 1994, I got around the city mostly
by bus. The buses were slow, the streets congested, and I soon
learned that I could only make one plan for the morning and one for
the afternoon, as it might take a couple hours to move about.
Then the city started to build their skytrain. I waited with great
anticipation for its completion. It seemed to require a lot more
time and a lot more money (OK, just two years of delay and three
times over budget) than originally anticipated, and the fares are
admittedly quite high, but it was finally built—if never finished.
(I saw an article in a Thai newspaper about people very upset that
the planned line to their area had never been built; meanwhile, the
pilings leading to the now domestic-only airport have been converted
into advertising posts.)
To be quite honest, I love the skytrain. Sure, the cement structure
looming overhead is ugly. Sure, most of the stations lack
escalators, making them inaccessible to those in wheelchairs, and
exceedingly difficult for those lugging heavy bags or luggage.
Sure, the two lines only cover a very limited portion of Bangkok.
Sure, it's expensive. Sure, despite all the hassles, the trains are
often packed. Sure, the stations are congested and I sometimes have
to push through people to reach my train. But at least I can see a
little of the city while I travel, and I can now get around to the
stops on the line quickly, allowing myself to visit far more places
in a day.
Though the skytrain certainly makes moving around the city much
easier (if you can afford it), it obviously didn't alleviate the
congestion, as the government then opened a very limited subway
system. The first time I tried to ride it, about a year after it
opened, it was closed for two weeks due to an accident. I finally
rode it a couple years after that, and discovered that it cost about
US$0.50 to ride what it would take me ten minutes to walk. That
seemed outrageous, and I don't love riding up and down long
escalators and traveling in tunnels. Since the Metro doesn't seem
to go much beyond the skytrain, I stick to the skytrain.
But now, after spending billions of dollars on those mass transit
systems, and despite having an existing extensive bus system, and
more roads than most Asian cities of their level of economic
development, the government is now planning bus rapid transit—a bit
like a street-level trolley, but with buses instead of trams. Of
course, that too is delayed—but the cost is a fraction of that for
the skytrain and Metro.
A more careful look at those costs reveals something interesting and
of considerable relevance as Dhaka plans its public transit system.
According to various Web sites, the skytrain, which opened in 1999,
cost about US$1.5 billion for 24 kilometers. That amounts to
US$62.5 million per kilometer. Of course, things were cheaper back
then.
Construction of the Metro began back in 1996, but it wasn't finished
until 2004. According to Wikipedia, "The project suffered multiple
delays not only because of the 1997 economic crisis, but also due to
challenging civil engineering works of constructing massive
underground structures deep in the water-logged soil upon which the
city is built." Interesting. Fortunately we don't have those
troubles in Dhaka (ahem!).
As for cost, the Metro cost a mere US$ 2.75 billion for 21 km, or
US$130.95 million per kilometer—just over twice that of the
skytrain. Apparently burrowing underground, dealing with flooding
issues, providing ventilation, and so on is much more expensive than
building above our heads. Meanwhile, again quoting
Wikipedia, "ridership has settled down to around 180,000 riders
daily — considerably lower than projections of over 400,000, despite
fares being slashed in half from 12-38 baht to 10-15 baht per trip.
As of 2006, fares range between 14-36 baht per trip." With an
exchange rate as I write of 32 baht to one US dollar, that's a
mighty high fare. Good thing Bangladeshis are wealthier than Thais
(??).
Meanwhile, the anticipated cost for the BRT is 33.4 million for 36
kilometers. Admittedly, anticipated costs are often far less than
actual costs, but still, at US$0.93 million per kilometer, that's a
bargain compared to the Metro or the skytrain—even more so when
considering it's being built last, when prices are highest. At 67
times less than the skytrain and 141 times less than the Metro, even
with significant cost increases, it will still be far more
affordable than its public transit predecessors.
Of course, operational costs are another issue. Buses require fuel,
trains electricity. Buses tend to require more maintenance, tires
wear down frequently, and buses have to be replaced far more often
than trains. While it is cheaper to build a BRT system initially,
the higher operational costs might mean that, in the long term, a
tram system would be more affordable—tram meaning street-level light
rail, not something up in the sky or underground, which greatly
multiplies the costs.
Which is all to say, I'm all for public transit. So, apparently,
are Thais: last I checked, hotels and housing advertise their
proximity to the various public transit options. Apparently people
are sick and tired of sitting in cars stuck in traffic jams. In
public transit, you can sit back and read a book while you ride,
look out the window (preferably not at tunnels), eavesdrop on your
neighbor's conversation, and otherwise amuse yourself without
risking crashing into someone once the traffic moves again.
But when considering spending millions or billions on public
transit, it would make sense to invest it wisely, in a system that
will be the most extensive and least expensive, and thus offer the
best value for the money. At 141 times per kilometer less to build
BRT than Metro, we could both have a far more extensive system,
meeting far more people's needs, and lower fares. Sounds like a
bargain to me!