‘Free bus travel for women admirable; building more flyovers a crime’ Premium

However, the growing city needed more. The BRTS which started crumbling under the weight of a growing population also became a victim of political warfare. After discussions and debates that lasted years, Claudia Nayibe López Hernández, the first female mayor of Bogota who took charge in 2020, initiated the first line of the Bogotá Metro to solve the problem and to reduce the city’s dependency on diesel buses that cause high emissions. She launched a fleet of 1485 electric buses and expanded the city’s cycling infrastructure.

TransMilenio, the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Bogota, the capital city of Colombia, has been hailed as one of the most effective forms of urban development inspiring cities across the world. Extremely popular and widely adopted by city dwellers, TransMilenio serves around two million rides a day.

However, the growing city needed more. The BRTS which started crumbling under the weight of a growing population also became a victim of political warfare. After discussions and debates that lasted years, Claudia Nayibe López Hernández, the first female mayor of Bogota who took charge in 2020, initiated the first line of the Bogotá Metro to solve the problem and to reduce the city’s dependency on diesel buses that cause high emissions. She launched a fleet of 1485 electric buses and expanded the city’s cycling infrastructure.

Lopez’s policies including the renowned Care Blocks and nutrition centres for migrant and refugee children and mothers’ strongly focused on sustainable and inclusive development of the city and its people. Currently a Harvard ALI Fellow and an advisor at the World Resources Institute (WRI), she was in the city recently where she conversed with policymakers, bureaucrats and urban enthusiasts.

Lopez spoke to The Hindu on the similarities between Bengaluru and Bogota, and the challenges and opportunities before the two global cities.