Urban Transport in Lima

Buses in Lima

Throughout the city there are more than 450 public transport routes which are provided by buses, minibuses and combis. This system is characterized by the non-renewal of the units and in several cases entails some informality of operation, even when companies have established routes. Rural trucks popularly known as combis are the typical public vehicle for short distances, and while the routes cover almost throughout the metropolitan area, the service is deficient in safety and comfort standards.

The price of the bus fare is 0.70 $.

The Metropolitan in Lima

The Metropolitan is an urban transport system which provides for the implementation of Segrgated Corridors of Buses of High Capacity (COSAC), in the main axes of the city of Lima. It has 9 main corridors that will be supplied by the rest of the bus routes. First row (COSAC 1), 33 kilometres long, was the first online. Currently, some stations are missing end but 2011 the entire system will be completed. This system is similar to the TransMilenio of Bogotá, Colombia or Transantiago in Santiago Chile.

This means of public transport, offers a fast and secure service and displacement from South to North of the city.

Metro in Lima

The Lima Metro in the Station of Villa El Salvador.

When builds the complete network of urban train or "Metro" (which considers 7 lines), it will become fast mass transit in the city system. Currently the system has only one line, i.e. line 1, which runs a total of 9.2 km in the South of the city (through the Districts of Villa El Salvador, Villa Marí del Triunfo and San Juan de Miraflores). The line is not yet commercially operate because it has a very short journey to make it profitable. However from 2010 began construction of the extension of line 1 from the Atocongo station in the District of San Juan de Miraflores to Hospital 2 de Mayo ( in the Grau Avenue in downtown Lima) totaling 20.9 km route. March of the same year began the civil works with funding from the State. The operation and maintenance of the service will be awarded to a private operator. He is expected that the system is operational in 2011, for further extension of the first line to the North of the city will begin serving the District of San Juan de Miraflores. The start of the construction of line 2 is also planned in the same year.

Taxi in Lima

Finally, the service of taxi in Lima is efficient but insecure. Due to the large margins of unemployment which faced the Peru in the 1980s and the free import of used cars there is a over-supply of taxis. Although the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima started several years ago a reorganization of the Metropolitan taxi service (SETAME, still circulating informal taxis). Taxis do not have taximeters by which the amount of the fee is negotiated at the time of taking the service. However, there are numerous private taxi service provide door to door and offer a reliable and secure service. On the other hand there taxi-remisse for services companies from international airport to different hotels that owns the city. These vehicles can also be rented for private tourist services and are very requested by senior executives who visit Lima.

We describe some frequent routes within the city of Lima, with approximate amounts: