Public Transportation Usage in Buenos Aires

Attempting to take the Subte (Buenos Aires’ underground rail system) during morning or evening rush hour is am interesting experience to say the least; and something many of us from the car-dependent southeastern United States are unfamiliar with. As the train comes to stop in the station, you must try to strategically place yourself in front of a door so that you can be one of the first ones to enter the train and wedge yourself into the car to start your trip down the line, packed as tightly as a sardine in a can. Some of the last ones to make it into the car (not all on the platform make it) will brace themselves against the top of the door and push themselves in, compressing people together even more.

Atlanta, like many other cities in the Sunbelt, experienced the bulk of its growth as a metropolitan region during a time where cars were seen as the solution to any transportation problem, and Americans were moving by the millions out of urban areas and into the suburbs. Because of this, the development which took place was primarily designed with the assumption that every citizen would own a car for their own transportation needs and that sufficient roadway infrastructure could be built to accommodate this increased demand. Anyone who has attempted to drive into downtown Atlanta during morning rush hour has realized that this was, and still is, a reality that is impossible to achieve.

            Buenos Aires, on the other hand, experienced the bulk of its growth when automobiles were still out of reach of the common person, and because of this, a sophisticated and relatively efficient public transportation system has been created to serve the citizens of the city. In addition to the fact that the system is much more robust and convenient than MARTA is in Atlanta, the low cost of fares (~$.50) also contributes to the high ridership and the fact that every train is packed during morning rush hour. Although there are definitely tradeoffs in terms of comfort and convenience with using public transportation over private transport options, I think that reducing the amount of private vehicles on the road and promoting increased public transportation, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is critical to the sustained growth of a city, as well as making it livable for its citizens for generations to come. In this regard; Atlanta has much progress yet to make before it can be on the same level as a city such as Buenos Aires.

            One of the main factors which contributed to Argentina in general, and specifically Buenos Aires, being able to develop an advanced network of rail infrastructure is the vast amount of investment which was made by the British during the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries. Britain made these vast infrastructure investments in Argentina to allow it to be able to have better and more exclusive access to the vast amounts of raw materials Argentina was exporting. The legacy of this vast investment can still be seen on the Buenos Aires Subte to this day; where most other metro-rail systems in the world have the trains running in the same configuration that cars on the road do, in Buenos Aires it is the opposite. Cars drive on the right but the trains run on the left. This is due to the fact that the system was designed and constructed by the British. This massive investment in infrastructure over a hundred years ago has paid off in that Buenos Aires is now able enjoy a level of development that many other cities in Latin America do not partially because similar investments were not made.

            The current Argentine government also plays a significant role in the success of the Subte system in Buenos Aires as well. By subsidizing the system and reducing fares to only 5 pesos (~$.50) per trip, the government is able to make the system accessible and affordable to all citizens. Although using any public transportation system in the United States is cheaper than operating a private car, the costs of some systems are still outside of the reach of many lower class people living in poverty. The irony of this fact is that it is these people, who are economically underprivileged, who depend on public transportation the most to live their day to day lives. Many states and cities already take a role in subsidizing and helping to fund their public transportation networks, and Atlanta/Georgia will have to start doing the same and at similar levels if it ever wants to see the MARTA system expand and ridership numbers rise significantly.