Mexico City Free transportation infopost

Mexico City is reaching worrying levels of air pollution that seriously affect the health of its citizens. In 2015, there was a record of seven environmental precontingencies activated, alerts that limit outdoor activities due to high concentrations of pollutants. The problem gets worse; from 2010 to 2013, vehicles registered in the region increased by 8, 5% for poor public transportation. The authorities are obliged to take measures to reduce the number of cars in circulation and improve the collective transport system. The Government of Mexico City launched the “Hoy no circula” program, through which all Vehicles are forced not to circulate one day a week and one Saturday a month between April 5 and June 30. In addition, 103 trolleybus routes in the city will be free between April 5 and June 30, reports the EFE Agency. The light rail that runs through the south of the city will also offer free rides, and public transportation licensed to private companies will offer reduced rates, as well as 10,000 taxi units and the Uber and Cabify mobile platforms.

It is expected, in any case, that the current public transport system cannot absorb all the traffic of people, and for this reason, with the MásXCoche initiative it is intended to encourage citizens to share their vehicle. Parents will be encouraged to share a vehicle with other classmates of their children when going to school, and officials, with 1,561 assigned units, must share their car with citizens who make a similar journey. These units are identified with a MásXCoche identification sticker, and their routes can be consulted on the website of the Mobility Secretariat of Mexico City.

However, there are voices who doubt the effectiveness of these measures in the long term. Carlos Dora, coordinator of the WHO Department of Public Health and Environment, declared that Hoy No Circula is effective in reducing pollution peaks, but that the best thing to do is to make the transition to mass public transport that moves by electricity or gas, promote clean fuel, and return urban space to pedestrians.