Cable car is essential public transport in La Paz – 01/09/2024 – Tourism
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The terrain of Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, makes public transport a challenge.
Located at an altitude of 3,640 meters above sea level, it is one of the highest cities in the world, with rugged terrain, mountains, deep valleys and narrow streets.
Because of this, in 2014, the government launched the state-owned company Mi Teleférico, a cable car network that connects the administrative capital with the neighboring city of El Alto.
The proposal was successful and even entered the Guinness World Records as the largest cable car network in the world.
“The National Government, observing the rugged topography of the metropolis, implemented a totally innovative means, which is the massive Cable Transport System (STC), building the largest air route in the world, which facilitated public transport”, explains Alejandro Gonzales Blacutt , executive manager of the state-owned company Mi Teleférico.
When visiting this part of the country it is possible to have a privileged view of the city amidst the mountains over 31.6 kilometers long, divided into ten different lines.
Currently, transport is used by people who want to move around the region, and also by those who want to “tourist” and see the city from above.
The cable car has clean, air-conditioned cabins that work well in practically all seasons.
The journey between one line and another is also quick, facilitating the routine of residents who need to go to work daily. The gain in time was felt by Bolivians who lost more than an hour in traffic, considered chaotic by many.
“To get to work in the city took 45 minutes to an hour. But with the purple line, in 8 minutes I was in the center”, says Bolivian Michelle Felipes, 25, who works at a tourism agency in La Paz.
Tourist attraction
In addition to being a means of transport, the Mi Teleférico is considered a tourist attraction. This is because in addition to taking you to the main neighborhoods in the region, walking on it is already worth a lot for those passing through La Paz and El Alto.
By using some lines it is possible to have a panoramic view of the capital and the surrounding mountains. Brazilian and content creator Jess Pádua, 34, has been to Bolivia twice and always used the cable car. The first time, in 2019, and the second, in September 2023.
“In September of this year I went again and walked for 2 hours without getting anywhere just to see the city from above”, he remembers.
She also says that she found the experience futuristic and even imagined what it would be like in Brazil, since, for her, Bolivians are more reserved and don’t talk as much on public transport.
“It’s crazy that people ‘fly’ every day to go to work. It translates a lot to Bolivia, the new and the old all together, tradition and the future, cholitas and cable cars. I felt like I was in the Jetsons, you know?”, says the Brazilian .
For those visiting the 16 de Julio fair, considered the largest in Latin America, taking the cable car can be an unusual and inexpensive trip.
Through the red line it is possible to see the entire fair from above and get an idea of how big it is. The ticket costs 3 Bolivianos, which at the current price is approximately R$2.10.
Internationalist Yasmin Bitencourt, 27 years old, visited La Paz in November 2022. The Brazilian used the cable car precisely to visit the main tourist attractions, explore the city and get to the fair in El Alto.
“I thought the service was great, as were the facilities. I liked the idea of seeing the city from above and also the range of points that are available for use. It was interesting to see people’s homes and also the terraces of their houses, football pitches, neighborhood squares. Things that we don’t have the dimension of when we are walking or passing by in a car”, he says.
Michelle, who has worked in the tourism sector for a few years, always recommends the tour to travelers passing through the region.
For her, when visiting the capital, tourists need to put the cable car on their list. “I put together itineraries so that my guests can have the best views of La Paz.”
Sustainable transport
While some land vehicles emit polluting gases, the cable car stands out in terms of sustainability.
Currently, this type of transport has solar panels that provide clean energy to the cabins and not to the electromechanical system.
Until 2026, work is being carried out on a photovoltaic plant – a renewable energy source that uses solar radiation to generate electricity – which will supply solar energy to the entire cable transport system.
Blacutt explains that using cable transport, the emission of pollutants is avoided, allowing better service to users.
“It is an orderly system and because it is aerial it does not cause traffic jams, also through stations it can be integrated with other means of transport and has the capacity to incorporate new technologies.”
Advantages of the cable car
In addition to being sustainable, the cable car also helps reduce traffic in the city and also reduce accidents on the roads.
The latest data released by the state-owned company shows that between 2014 and 2019, more than 51,000 traffic incidents were recorded, of which 20% corresponded to accidents.
According to Sergio Ejzinberg, engineer and master in Transport from the USP Polytechnic School, the cable car also helps ease traffic on highways.
“You can leave the highways for cargo. It takes passengers off the streets, who then use the cable car quickly and safely,” he says.
The project also facilitates the population’s access to public transport, as more than 60% of this in La Paz is provided by a minibus network. There is also no subway and the cable car was called by Bolivians the “subway in the sky”.
For the engineer, this means of transport is ideal for the city’s topography and meets the population’s needs well.
According to the company, Mi Teleférico receives approximately 200 thousand users per day and per month this number reaches six million. “By the end of 2023, 73 million passengers are expected,” says Blacutt.
Would it work in the rest of Latin America?
“It’s crazy that people ‘fly’ to work every day,” says Jessica
Although the idea seems promising for Latin America, the project would not work in large cities and capitals.
According to the USP specialist, the cable cars were successful in La Paz due to the topographic condition. However, even though the city is high, it is not altitude that is involved in these cases, but rather the difference in height between one destination and another in a short space of time.
“It’s a short distance between La Paz and El Alto, which is on the outskirts of the city,” he says.
In cities such as São Paulo, in Brazil, Medellin, in Colombia, and Buenos Aires, in Argentina, the rail system is the most recommended. “When you have macro-metropolises, you have subways and railways”, reinforces the engineer.
Still according to the expert, the cable car built in Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro, had everything to work. However, due to poor management this did not happen. Transport has been out of service for seven years.
“There you have steep hills, horrible alleys to get to. It would certainly improve the population’s quality of life. The idea was correct, but the problem was management”, says Ejzinberg.
In Brazil, the cable transport system would work in small cities that do not have a high demand for use. “It can be used in cities like Amparo, Serra Negra, Pico do Jaraguá. Small cable cars with a more tourist function.”
This text was originally published here
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