Another creative and environmentally friendly way to commute is available to residents of La Paz, Bolivia. Called Mi Teleferico, which translates to “My Cable Car”, the electric cable car system also boasts solar-powered interior lighting.
Part of the reason the project has been so successful is that the air inside the cars is actually cleaner than the air being inhaled by those on the ground below.
No transportation method but a cable car system would work in La Paz, as the many underground rivers in that area make it impossible to install the more commonly used metro system. The Teleferico helps alleviate rush hour traffic in the city and makes life more pleasant for commuters.
La Paz is the capital of Bolivia, and thousands of people commute to work every single day. Before the installation of the cable car system last year, they faced unpleasant, noisy city traffic and fought crowds of other commuters on their way to work. Now they can hop into a cable car at any of the 10 stations spread across the city, for seventeen hours out of the day. If they miss the car, another will arrive in a mere twelve seconds. If you still need to be convinced, the three lines also offer stunning views of the Andes mountains.
There is one downside to the Teleferico: the individual cars pass close enough to other people’s homes that riders can actually see into them. On a related note, curtain sales have gone up in Bolivia (that is a joke – Bolivia’s curtain sales numbers are still currently unknown). However, in an effort to be positive, creative Bolivians have taken to pasting advertisements in their windows to increase sales.
Image (c) Ana Lisa Alperovich
