TRINIDAD CHOOSES BUSWAYS OVER RAILWAYS

Utilization of an abondoned railroad right of way as a busway has proved to be a major advance in Trinidad public transit. The Caribbean island now has 18 miles of busway, known as Priority Bus Route (PBR), which is marked by high peak-hour speeds, a mixture of express and local services, and high-frequency service not possible with trains. These conditions are highly competitive with private vehicles and paratransit on parallel congested roads. Initial operation of shared taxis on the busway had to be discontinued because congestion there reduced the quality of service provided by buses. Trinidad bus service is operated by Public Transport Service Corp. (PTSC) at fares that are extremely low and, despite recent 500 percent increase, still must be supplemented by large subsidies. Despite the restrictions of a narrow-gauge railroad right-of-way, it was possible to build PBR's two-lane busway although there are space problems at major interchanges and at bus stops.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1794668
• Corporate Authors:

  Carter (C Carroll)

  538 National Press Building
  Washington, DC  United States  20004
• Publication Date: 1985-8

Media Info

• Pagination: 2 p.
• Serial:
  • Mass Transit
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue Number: 8
  • Publisher: Cygnus Publishing, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0364-3484
  • Serial URL: http://www.masstransitmag.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abandonment; Bus transit; Busways; Developing countries; Level of service; Quality of service; Railroads; Right of way (Land)
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services; Railroad rights of way
• Subject Areas: Public Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00451109
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 1985 12:00AM