From Transmilenio to Cycle Networks: Lessons Learned from Bogotá

May 2023

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This 2023 Mobilize Case Study dives into the evolution of sustainable urban mobility in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, a two-time recipient of the Sustainable Transport Award, in both 2005 and 2022. This report is useful for urban planners, decision-makers, and advocates hoping to learn how this capital city’s strong and dedicated vision for equitable and sustainable urban mobility carried on through different political administrations and global crises. In particular, the case study examines how Bogotá worked to ensure that its transport systems could recover from disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, while also building future resilience in anticipation of evolving climate and health challenges.

Bogotá was first recognized with the Sustainable Transport Award for its landmark TransMilenio bus rapid transit (BRT) system in 2005, which became an example for the world of how a high-quality, high-capacity modern rapid transit system could be implemented. Twenty years later, the city’s public transport and street infrastructure has been transformed with BRT and continues to evolve with a transition towards electrification, the adoption of new equity standards, integration with other public modes, and the deployment of the innovative La Rolita feeder bus system. Bogotá’s well-known, decades-long investment in cycling and pedestrian networks, alongside supporting policies, is also turning the city into a model not just for Latin America, but for cities all over the world. Download the case study for more context and insights.