Knowing exactly how many people use the public bus every day and thus learning the requirements of each route, is what the Autoridad Reguladora de Servicios Públicos (Aresep) hopes to achieve with a study that began earlier this month.
According to the ARESEP, the information to be obtained by the study is to establish “operational variables” ie. the size of the fleet, schedules, frequency and the cost of the fares.
The first phase of the study will cost ¢30 million colones and study several routes over a period of four months, from August 12, 2013 to December 12, 2013.
The routes under study will be: San José – San Juan de Tobosi and Loma Larga; service between Cartago, El Alumbre, San Juan Sur and Norte and Loma Larga; and La Guaria, Santa Elena, Loma Larga, Río Conejo and San Juan Sur.
The second phase will involve analyzing the 266 routes between Santiago and Palmares de Alajuela, that is expected to be carried out in 2014.
“The country needs better information for decision-making and reduce the temptation of bus companies to report inaccurate data on the number of people they move and avoid manipulation by unscrupulous users,” said Enrique Muñoz, ARESEP Transportation manager.
Source: ADN Radio