Aims of the Orthogonal Bus Network: 

·Comprehensible network for regular and no regular users

·Improving the geographical coverage of the bus network. 1,87 millions of inhabitants will be at less than 300 meters of a bus stop. The current geographical coverage will be increased by 30000 inhabitants.

·Higher capacity. The new network will have more overall capacity of transport because routes have been designed to respond effectively to demand and vehicles will maintain frequency.

·Better connectivity. Improving the connectivity between bus services and other services of public transport (bus, train): 89% of metro stations will have a bus stop within 200 meters.

Operational objectives

·Recover lost demand since mid 2000. Overcome the current limitations of the network, basically its low readability (confusing routes that reduce the potential demand of users non-recurring) and insufficient integration with other public transport networks (not adjusted to the new routes and subway lines tram, with some sections matching and short exploitation of network effects).

·To facilitate strategies of urban transformation (for example, the superblocks)

Who's promoting the project

The Barcelona City Council in accordance with the Barcelona bus company. They support the concept of orthogonal network of buses Barcelona Ecology.

Geographic scope

Barcelona city and metropolitan area

Status

First phase: October 2012. Second phase: November 2013. The first two phases involve the deployment of 35% of the entire network.

Input indicators

Construction cost: € 17 million (between € 9,3 million and € 25,6 million, depending on the characteristics of the stops, and a network of 5 minutes frequency). Includes relocalization of stops, adequacy of corners, new bus lanes, bus stops equipment, and citizen information.

Operation Cost: €-9M less respect to the current costs, because of some lower miles travelled over the network.

Maintenance cost:  it is included on operational cost.

Other input indicators: Not available

Output indicators

·Frequency reduction since 11 minuts to 5 minuts, for the reorganization

·Since 41,9 millions of vehicles•km / years to 39,1 millions vehicles•km, for the reorganization

·Since 106 lines to 63 lines, for the reorganization

·Since 1.865 km of network to 1.150km, for the reorganization

·Since 2.610 bus stops to 2,519, for the reorganization

Outcome indicators

Financial return for the public sector: Annually,  € 8.8 million less in operating costs and maintenance of rolling stock and bus stops; between € 8.6 million and € 21.6 million more for selling bus tickets (correspond to  tickets sales that are left to do on the underground).

Number of beneficiaries: 180 million passengers per year

Cost per beneficiary ratio: 0,1 (euros / beneficiary)

Private to public investment ratio: 0 (private euros/public euros). All the investment is public. Indicators of socioeconomic benefits:

·in average, there is a 30% of bus stops more nearby to the metro

·4,098 more people in Barcelona have a bus stop at less than 300m

·Initially, between 8 million hours of time savings annually for travelers of public transport, tending to stabilize around 5 million hours of savings the medium term.

CO2 Emission savings: 5000 tones per year

Interest and transferability of the project

Potential for transfer ability is directly proportional to the interest it may rise on other cities (for citizens and promoters), and inversely proportional to the difficulties linked to its implementation (because of being too context-specific, or because of having technical difficulties)

Interest for citizens. Reduction in the average time of travel by public transport trips in Barcelona. Improving the organizational clarity bus network in Barcelona (readability of the network).

Overcoming contextual specificities. The new organization of buses in Barcelona can be transferred to any city that has a sufficiently regular urban oriented orthogonal form.

Overcoming technical difficulties. The main problem is to make an information campaign on the proposed changes among the citizenry enough attractive to convey the benefits of action and avoid potential opposition movements to change habits and accept the increase in the number of transfers.

Interest for other cities to promote.  Increase the coverage rate of buses (part of the cost covered by ticket sales). More balanced distribution of the different modal share of public transport (bus, metro, tram) and more efficient use of existing capacity of public transport.