The planned launch this weekend of seven new bus routes to circumvent downtown San José traffic was curbed this week, following a court ruling that transport officials acted “irrationally” in awarding contracts for the plan, the daily La Nación reported.
The Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) is set to appeal the decision by the Transport Administrative Tribunal. Bus consortium MPT S.A., comprising 34 bus companies, was ready to dispatch 100 buses for an inauguration planned for last Saturday, according to La Nación.
The seven new peripheral bus routes are meant to directly link several of San José’s suburbs and nearby towns, thereby lessening congestion downtown and reducing commuters’ travel time, according to MOPT.
The seven new routes are: the southern suburb of Desamparados to the northeastern suburb of Moravia; the southern suburb of Hatillo to the northeastern suburb ofGuadalupe; the northwestern district of La Uruca to the western suburb of Escazú; Guadalupe to La Uruca; Moravia to La Valencia (the road through La Uruca connecting San José to the city of Heredia, north of San José); Moravia to La Valencia; La Valencia to Santa Ana, southwest of San José; and Escazú to Alajuelita, south of San José.
The new routes were selected based on the results of a survey of 14,500 homes and a series of studies contracted by MOPT.
