page_title: Colectivo
section_title: 1990s to the present
hierarchical_section_title: Colectivo / History / 1990s to the present
caption_attribution_description: Español: Esquema Metalpar Tronador - Mercedes-Benz OH1315L-Sb. Modelo 2009. English: Metalpar Tronador bus with Mercedes Benz OH 1315 L-sb chassis in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Colectivo, line 19.
context_page_description: Colectivo is the name given in Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay to a type of public transportation vehicle, especially those of Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. The name comes from vehículos de transporte colectivo, reflecting their origin as shared taxis.
  When they first appeared in the 1920s, colectivos were small buses built out of smaller vehicle chassis and, later, out of truck chassis, not specifically designed for the transportation of people, and were decorated with unique hand-painted drawings that gave each unit a distinct flavor.
  They steadily evolved and grew larger, but kept their picturesque style until the 1990s, when the urban fleet was modernized with standard rear-engined bus units.
  During most of their history, tickets were sold by the driver, who would drive off as soon as all passengers had boarded, selling tickets while driving.
context_section_description: Omnibus. Blurring of the tradition of the colectivo
  In 1987 El Detalle, one of the bus body suppliers of Mercedes-Benz, started competing with its former chassis provider, investing in low price and modern urban buses, with cheaper Deutz engines. That same year model El Detalle OA-101 was launched. This model was rear-engined and had pneumatic suspension, providing smoother rides and more inside space.
  Mercedes-Benz responded the following year with the rear-engined OH-1314, but that was considered "the death of the Colectivo", certainly the end of an era.
  In 1989 the last truck-based colectivos, on the classic Mercedes-Benz chassis LO-1114, were assembled. Production had been discontinued the previous year.
  During the 1990s some companies found it cheaper to switch to single-colored units, and a flurry of mergers and foldings changed the appearance of colectivos.
  Nowadays, only the three-digit numbering and some of the routes survive from the traditional "líneas", fileteado is rarely seen, the filigranas were lost, and some of the classic big details, such as the panoramic mirrors close to the driver's head, disappeared.
  After 1995 automatic ticket machines made journeys safer, since drivers did not have to sell tickets and drive at the same time.
  In 2005 Mercedes-Benz units accounted for about half of the buses in the city of Buenos Aires and its surroundings, with units built in Buenos Aires (La Favorita, Eivar, Italbus, Bimet-Corwin, Galicia, CND, CEAP, Ugarte, etc.) and in Brazil (Marcopolo, CAIO and others). The other half were El Detalle units and others such as Scania, Volvo, Dimex, Zanello and very few Ferroni.
  Most older units have been retired from service in Buenos Aires, as they are considered too dangerous and noisy for use in the fast-paced city. They were disposed of, or sent to smaller cities all over the country. Colectivos are usually retired only when they are too damaged to be repaired; some of them have “resuscitated” as fine motorhomes.
caption: Modern colectivo model Metalpar Tronador OH1315L-sb Mercedes Benz
exif: {}