Chile's New Bus System Plagued By Troubles

"While a state-of-the art system installed in Chile has reduced pollution in the city of Santiago, a bungled adjustment has also left millions of passengers reeling - and hundreds of others suing the government."

"The new system may be generating less pollution, but it is also generating mountains of complaints. What was once a 40-minute trip can now take 2 hours. As a result, commuters report losing their jobs for being late, or being forced to change jobs because routes have changed."

"'When the trains get here, everybody rushes and people hit each other, shoving and pushing,' commuter Alejandro Gonzales said. 'So you get to work all stressed out. You leave all stressed out. I'm just waiting for someone to hit me. I'll hit them back.'"

"Transantiago removed thousands of run down buses from the streets, and failed to tell the public where the new routes would run. The new fare cards were so badly administered that a moratorium had to be declared on all bus fares."

"But there is no nostalgia for the system that existed under Chile's dictatorship and persisted for 17 years more. Deputy Hales says privately owned buses careened thru Santiago's streets, belching black smoke and competing for passengers in what appeared to be more a high-speed chase than a mass transit system."

"The system has been slashed from 3,000 private companies to just 10. But that hasn't brought more efficiency - and Hales says it represents a failure of free enterprise."