"My vision is to arrange the whole city. Not only the public transport but mobility services and infrastructure in general.” – how Angélica helps to bring Bogotá to the leading edge of public transport and tries to set an example for many developed cities.

Angélica Castro Rodríguez, General Director, Transmilenio S.A., Bogotá, Colombia

“Even though we don’t have a perfect mass public transport system yet, the TransMilenio we created in Bogotá is a huge progress for the people here. During the last seven years we created and expanded a system of more than 500 dedicated buses that use specific, restricted lines and around 300 feeder buses. We learned a lot from leading systems, like the one in Curitiba, and created an adjusted version here in Bogotá” - Angelica Castro, the newly appointed General Director of TransMilenio, explains. Having experienced a lot of quite chaotic public transport systems during the last 10 months of travelling in many developing countries, we appreciate very much what the TransMilenio team achieved. It replaces a system of independent collective van enterprises that operate without a schedule and require very long transfer times. The rapid bus system is, on the other hand, much cheaper than the construction of a subway.

However, it is also important to note that significant numbers of poor people lost their most often informal jobs – running collective small buses, selling small things in these buses, playing music in them, etc. It will never be easy to solve all these partly contradicting needs, however, we have the feeling that Angelica and her team listen to the people and find as many solutions as possible, knowing quite well that a lot of things still have to be done.

For Angelica TransMilenio is a passion. Educated internationally she now found a challenge that requires all her professional skills plus emotional intelligence.

Enjoy Angélica’s selected thoughts and statements of our discussion in the following lines. You may be able to read more about her passion for transportation in our book “MyImpact”.

Angélica Castro Rodríguez’s selected quotations:
"The population of the city has been rising drastically since 1957. We had to find a solution for a mass transit system. Rail has been discussed but a rapid bus system was the economically better option. "

"The fact that all mayors during the last years supported TransMilenio made the development and continuity much easier."

"Most of the time things come out a little smaller and more humble than you dream."

"As deputy director I spent a lot of time out in the streets studying the operations and the usage of our system. I learned a lot just by using the buses just like other people do and understanding what the issues are."

"Of course, we cannot make everybody happy at the same time, but at least we understand and can implement improvements step by step."

"I like to do something for people. Transport is needed by absolutely everyone; even if you just walk."

"I like the challenge of the public sector; a lot of people criticize it and they have solutions but don't do anything. I enjoy actually delivering and trying to do the best possible."

"The city changed so much; people - even I - used to hate it, the traffic jams, pollution, no quiet places and a mess in the streets. Today, many are proud, we like to joke that even the weather is better."

"Current challenges are to improve the service level on existing lines, and to finish and plan next phases."

"People have learned to complain. Before, nobody would listen to them, especially not to the poor people. Today, they know that if they complain things may change. So, they start using their right."

"Nobody can really understand why I love TransMilenio so much. Sometimes even I don't. But, whatever the reason, I dedicated my life to building and improving the service and every small step gives me great satisfaction. I am even proud of the white hair that I get due to the pace and challenge of the work."

"My vision is to arrange the whole city. Not only the public transport but mobility services and infrastructure in general. I know, these are big dreams but that's what I feel."

Some background on Angélica Castro Rodríguez:
Angelica Castro grew up in Bogotá and that's where she studied civil engineering and later received her master in public law. She spent three months in Japan on a scholarship in the field transportation and then moved to the UK to work on her M.S. in public transport planning.

After returning to Colombia, Angelica worked for the national planning department in several functions before joining the TransMilenio team right upon the foundation of the organization in 1998. She first managed the planning and operations, later took the position of Deputy Director and lately became General Director of the institution. She has found her life's mission with TransMilenio and in the little free time that she has, Angelica enjoys traveling and dancing rumba.

Some background on the Transmilenio S.A.:
Transmilenio S.A. is the public company responsible for planning and providing the infrastructure for the TransMilenio. TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, designed and implemented according to the following principles: quality and consistency, affordability, respect for life, respect for the user’s time, and respect for human diversity.

In January 1998, the components required to put the project into operation were absent. The first decision made by the local administration, at that time lead by Mayor Enrique Peñalosa, was defining the system itself as a fundamental element of the mobility strategy, and proceeding to budget significant resources to finance its construction. Likewise, a specialized group independent from the existing institutions was organized in order for it to coordinate the preparation process and promote the creation of the system’s nominee company.

Today TransMilenio is recognized internationally as one of best implementations of an economically, socially and environmentally well designed city transportation system. It consists of numerous elevated stations in the center of a main avenue. Users pay at the station and await the arrival of the bus, whose doors open at the same time as the sliding glass doors of the station. Two dedicated lanes are used on either side of the stations in order to allow express buses to pass the station without stopping while other buses stop to allow passengers in or out.

If you would like to engage with the work of Angélica Castro Rodríguez or get to know more about the Transmilenio please visit www.transmilenio.gov.co,
or, for more specific opportunities, contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.