Ultra Light Rail or mini bus?
I wrote a bit ago about the need for light rail on the island of La Gonave. To connect such a mountainous rugged land, a train of some type would work well. Especially moving people and cargo around. While Ultra Light Rail is by far cheaper than Light Rail due to the tracks being cheaper, installing track, and trains, but it is also easier to put the system in place.
Still a ULR system would cost a few million just to cover a few routes in Anse-a-Galets. To connect Anse-a-Galets to say Pointe-a-Raquettes, would need a bigger Ultra Light rail (ULR) and would be a big investment. Currently the need for such a system isn't needed. Not only is the ridership not there, but also the lack of people who could afford to ride the system is very limited. Initially we pegged the price at about $2-$5 US just for a one way trip. While that isn't expensive for Americans, it is very costly to many Haitians. Until the incomes are there, La Gonave can't have such a system. An inner city route in Anse-a-Galets is more likely with fares under $.75. Again the ridership is questionable, and where would the line start? Also while these systems can be electric, where will you get the power from to run a system non-stop during the day hours? The costs, while not high, are still steep for the current situation on La Gonave.
So for now a ULR system would have to wait, but in comes the mini bus. In places like Hong Kong, the mini bus was for many years the transportation that people relied on. The buses are not on a schedule, and have specific routes, but no solid bus stops. The buses are smaller in size, use less fuel, cheaper to buy, and drive similar to a car. They are more like over-sized taxis that are either personally or company owned.
La Gonave could easily setup a similar type of system. A company would have to run the system, but given the cheap cost, size and weight of the vehicles, it is a logical choice. One major issue for La Gonave is the lack of paved roads. While this is something that could be a major issue, it isn't something that completely stops the city of Anse-a-Galets from having a small mini bus system.
Above are two vehicles developed by a Florida company MotoElectric. The vehicles above are both 15 passenger vehicles, with the above bus (white) is what the vehicles look like standard. The bottom photo has the University of Alaska wrap on it. The vehicles run on electricity and has on board batteries. The vehicle even can have a large solar panel on top which the company will install. This dramatically lowers the need for plugging into a power system which is something that works best on La Gonave. The wheels can even be designed for more of an off-road experience. The small compact size allows for easier transport to the island as the vehicle weights about 3,500 pounds or as much as a large pickup truck.
Where will such a system run? Well the best places would be either from the public wharf or from the airport. Why those two places to start? Well the wharf is where the vast majority of people arrive from. It also has a paved road that leads to the wharf. The airport is also attractive if you are looking at the future. Most tourist will probably arrive by airplane to the island, so having a service that will connect visitors to future key tourist locations is very important in moving the economy on the island. Ideally connecting the wharf to the airport is the best way to ensure the island transit is connected.
These 15 passenger buses (more like 12 according to University of Alaska) are ideal for shuttling people and given the limited speed of the vehicles it makes perfect sense. Having on-board power also will lower the operational costs of the vehicles even though they can last for 50 miles on a charge. So instead of having a bus system that only leaves when enough passengers are on it, this system will run around the clock. At just about $.07 per mile to operate, this bus is able to run and be cost effective for riders.
Go Gonave!
Still a ULR system would cost a few million just to cover a few routes in Anse-a-Galets. To connect Anse-a-Galets to say Pointe-a-Raquettes, would need a bigger Ultra Light rail (ULR) and would be a big investment. Currently the need for such a system isn't needed. Not only is the ridership not there, but also the lack of people who could afford to ride the system is very limited. Initially we pegged the price at about $2-$5 US just for a one way trip. While that isn't expensive for Americans, it is very costly to many Haitians. Until the incomes are there, La Gonave can't have such a system. An inner city route in Anse-a-Galets is more likely with fares under $.75. Again the ridership is questionable, and where would the line start? Also while these systems can be electric, where will you get the power from to run a system non-stop during the day hours? The costs, while not high, are still steep for the current situation on La Gonave.
So for now a ULR system would have to wait, but in comes the mini bus. In places like Hong Kong, the mini bus was for many years the transportation that people relied on. The buses are not on a schedule, and have specific routes, but no solid bus stops. The buses are smaller in size, use less fuel, cheaper to buy, and drive similar to a car. They are more like over-sized taxis that are either personally or company owned.
La Gonave could easily setup a similar type of system. A company would have to run the system, but given the cheap cost, size and weight of the vehicles, it is a logical choice. One major issue for La Gonave is the lack of paved roads. While this is something that could be a major issue, it isn't something that completely stops the city of Anse-a-Galets from having a small mini bus system.
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| 15 passenger motoelectricvehicles.com |
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| newsminer.com |
Where will such a system run? Well the best places would be either from the public wharf or from the airport. Why those two places to start? Well the wharf is where the vast majority of people arrive from. It also has a paved road that leads to the wharf. The airport is also attractive if you are looking at the future. Most tourist will probably arrive by airplane to the island, so having a service that will connect visitors to future key tourist locations is very important in moving the economy on the island. Ideally connecting the wharf to the airport is the best way to ensure the island transit is connected.
These 15 passenger buses (more like 12 according to University of Alaska) are ideal for shuttling people and given the limited speed of the vehicles it makes perfect sense. Having on-board power also will lower the operational costs of the vehicles even though they can last for 50 miles on a charge. So instead of having a bus system that only leaves when enough passengers are on it, this system will run around the clock. At just about $.07 per mile to operate, this bus is able to run and be cost effective for riders.
Go Gonave!
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