Panama Bus passenger heaven on the horizon

Panama bus passenger heaven, compared with the purgatory of traveling on  the notorious, polluting and life threatening  diablos rojos, is only weeks away.

Drivers of the new fleet of buses will have to follow new standards and rules, and passengers too will have to learn new habits like boarding or alighting only at designated stops.

The bus stations will be spaced out further than those currently in use. The international standard of 500 meters between stops will be implemented in the Panama and San Miguelito, so for some it may mean a few meters more to walk each day, but the ride will be smoother, and safer.
Ivan Posada, director of Mass Transit Panama, says the issue of bus stations is important because buses cannot stop just anywhere, as the station must be level with the floor of the Volvo and Mercedes Benz model buses.
The government has appointed a team to study the issue composed of technicians from the national transportation authority engineers from the Ministry of Public Works and the concessionaire Mass Transit Panama – winner of the $269 million subway contract.
The first 120 buses of the new public system will start operating on the Corridor Sur Dec. 18, 2010. The next batch of 120 will be on Corredor Norte on Jan. 29, 2011. {jathumbnail off}
 In mid August 2011, another 960 buses will be in circulation in Panama City on Vía España, Ricardo J. Alfaro (Tumba Muerto), and Vía Transístmica.