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Sistema Integrado de Transporte Optibús

SIT Optibús (officially Sistema Integrado de Transporte Optibús) is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system operating in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. Locally it is known also as "La Oruga" (the caterpillar), due to its use of articulated buses.

History

Most of the Optibús route uses city streets, but with dedicated bus lanes and high-level platform stations. The system was inaugurated on September 27, 2003 and cost a total of 1,405,700,000 pesos to implement.[1] León was the first city in Mexico to implement a BRT system.[2] The system is part of the integrated transit network for León and utilizes prepaid farecards (known as Pagobús), which can be used for every other bus route as well.[1]

In 2016, 58 Torino OH 1624/59 buses by Mercedes-Benz were acquired for the system.[2]

In 2019 and 2020, an app to improve the service was being planned, along with a purchase of 1,000 new buses, gates, and installing Wi-Fi and security cameras in each bus.[3][4]

Statistics

The Optibus accounts for 85% of trips taken on public transportation in León.[5] Daily ridership is around 120,000.[1] There were 17,200,123 riders in August 2024.[6] According to a 2024 study by the Mario Molina Center, León's public transportation system in ranked ninth place out of 32 systems in Mexico.[6]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sistema Integrado de Transporte Optibús" (PDF). Gobierno de México (in Spanish).
  2. ^ a b Robles, Araceli (2016-11-03). "AUTOBUSES MERCEDES-BENZ CONFORMARÁN EL SERVICIO DEL SIT-OPTIBÚS" [Mercedes-Benz buses will operate the SIT-OPTIBUS service.]. Pasajero7 (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  3. ^ Espinosa, Camila (2019-07-10). "León franquiciará su modelo de transporte" [León will franchise its transport model]. El Economista (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  4. ^ Meza, Francisco (2020-02-08). "Optibús de León, modelo a seguir en Latinoamérica". El Sol de Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  5. ^ "El sistema de transporte articulado de León, Guanajuato, se convierte en referencia nacional e internacional" [The articulated transport system of León, Guanajuato, becomes a national and international reference]. El Poder del Consumidor (in Spanish). 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  6. ^ a b García, Jorge Camarillo (2024-10-22). "Reprueban en estudio al transporte público de León" [León public transport fails in study]. Meganoticias (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-25.