January 6, 2020. According to a recent study from the Universidad de los Andes, Transmilenio users are breathing better air in Bogotá. The investigation, which was developed thanks to an alliance between Ecopetrol, Transmilenio and the district departments of Mobility and Environment, revealed that inside the buses the particulate material known as PM 2.5 and soot was reduced by about 50%, in comparison with the results obtained in the measurements of 2015 and 2017.
The researchers developed 60 monitoring processes on 260 buses, 12 trunks, 48 stations and 9 System portals. Each measurement was carried out for three hours, with duly certified equipment in two phases; the first was conducted between June 11 and August 27, and the second between September 16 and November 14, 2019. The official report highlights that this study, which measured the impact of fleet renewal on Transmilenio in the air quality of the mass transport system, attributes the results to three factors:
1. The best emission standards for new buses compared to the old ones, as vehicles with Euro II and Euro III technology were removed from service and replaced with vehicles with Euro V and Euro VI emission standards.
2. The particulate filter required for diesel engine buses with Euro V emission standard.
3. The improvement in the quality of diesel and the use of natural gas, both fuels delivered by Ecopetrol, for the System buses.
“Colombia got on sustainable mobility and we are seeing the first results. On the issues of air quality, which affect the health of citizens so much, we have made a significant leap in the quality of fuels from diesel fuel from 25 to 10 parts per million of sulfur and in gasoline from 150 to less than 100, reaching in advance the goals set for 2025. In addition, with the Electric Mobility Law, the reduction of the price of this type of vehicles was achieved thanks to tax incentives and natural gas mobility reduces the particulate material by 96%,” said the Minister of Mines and Energy, María Fernanda Suárez.
