No one can deny the mobility problem that exists in large cities. This forces authorities to offer innovative transportation alternatives to help facilitate daily commutes, but what happens when a project like the Puebla Cablebús (cable car) is shaping up to be a white elephant like the Maya Train?
The government of Morena party member Armenta Mier revealed its lack of planning, presenting “studies for the cable car project” without the endorsement of any organization, university, or agency regarding its operation and implications.
“We have information of dubious origin; only they know about it, or perhaps they’re the only ones making it up,” retorted Rafael Micalco, a PAN (National Action Party) deputy in the Puebla State Congress.
The cable car is a clear example of what happened with the Maya Train, a Morena project that lacked environmental and railway safety studies and, moreover, fails to meet the mobility needs of families.
The Real Cost: Cablebús Could Take Years to Recoup Its Investment
The Puebla government allocated an investment of 6.965 billion pesos. This means it will have a hefty operating and maintenance cost of 105 million pesos per year.
But let’s look at the figures; assuming the fare would be around 12 pesos for users, the numbers are as follows:
At the maximum capacity projected by the state, if 2,500 people used it per hour, that would generate 30,000 pesos.
If we multiply this by a 12-hour service, the cablebús would generate 360,000 pesos per day.
That would amount to 2.52 million pesos per week. Annually, it would total 120.96 million pesos. Subtracting operating costs, which amount to 105 million pesos annually, it would take at least 436 years to recoup the 6.965 billion peso investment and pay off the debt.
This term has been applied to grandiose projects that, despite their costly investment, do not generate profit on their own, such as the Maya Train, the Dos Bocas Refinery, and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport.
“It will transport fewer people, it will be more heavily subsidized, and it will be a project that is not viable, just like the Maya Train,” stated Rafael Micalco.
It is a reality that the Cablebús project is a concern for the people of Puebla and a matter of no interest to Governor Alejandro Armenta.
Source: tvazteca
