Minister of Transport and Telecommunications announces new route 542 with electric double-decker buses

Santiago, February 15, 2024.- About 60 kilometers long is the new route that the electric 2-decker buses of the Metbus company will have, and that as of Monday, February 26, will change their route to 542 Cerro Navia-Cantagallo, thus covering an important stretch from west to east of Santiago.

The Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, presented this Thursday the section that this new service operated by the company Metbus will cover and that will run through the communes of Cerro Navia, Quinta Normal, Recoleta, Santiago, Providencia, Las Condes and Vitacura until it reaches Lo Barnechea, with the iconic electric double-decker buses that debuted in October last year within the framework of the Pan American and Parapan American Games.

“We are committed to moving towards better public transport and that is the north that moves us daily. Today we want to announce the creation of a new route where we are going to repurpose the electric double-decker buses that began to circulate in Red Movilidad in October of last year. This change responds to improving the territorial equity of the system, so it was decided to create the 542 service that will mobilize users from eight communes: Cerro Navia, Quinta Normal, Recoleta, Santiago, Providencia, Las Condes, Vitacura and Lo Barnechea,” said the Secretary of State.

Since October, 2-decker buses have been running route 520, from the Pajaritos metro to the National Stadium, mainly crossing the Alameda and Avenida Grecia. This route was highly rated by users according to a satisfaction study carried out by Ipsos: 92% of those surveyed rated it with a grade of 7, and among the highlights were the air conditioning, the security cameras inside, the panoramic view and the quality of the buses.

The mayor of Quinta Normal, Karina Delfino, valued that the residents of her commune are the next beneficiaries of these buses, unique in Latin America. “This service contributes to the connectivity of many neighbors, which was a request that we had made to the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications in various ways. It was an urgency to be able to connect with the Félix Bulnes Hospital, so we are very happy with this modern, sustainable service that will undoubtedly generate a positive impact on the community,” he said.

The new route 542 includes important points in the capital such as the Félix Bulnes Hospital, the Cal y Canto Metro station, and Santa María, Las Condes, Vitacura and La Dehesa avenues, it will have a frequency of 4 buses at rush hour and the service will be provided by both 2-decker electric buses, and also by 1-decker buses.